Timo Lenzen / DER SPIEGEL
Dear readers,
have you ever felt trapped in a time warp in the last few weeks?
The number of cases is falling, the number of cases is increasing, the federal and state governments meet, the shutdown is being extended and the measures are being tightened.
Time and again.
It is not surprising that in this seemingly endless loop the longing for experts grows, who seem to have a way out with their statements.
This could be seen in the run-up to the Prime Minister's Conference this week, and we are not immune to it either.
There were calls to consult researchers who oppose the scientific consensus on issues relating to the fight against corona.
In its course, the pandemic has produced some of these apparent revolutionaries.
Hendrik Streek, for example, or Klaus Stöhr.
Not to mention the many other doctors who have no idea about epidemiology and above all the SARS virus and were at least briefly washed up with controversial theses in the corona discussions.
“False balance” is the name of the principle in which minority opinions in research are given too much space in the reporting, creating the impression that they are synonymous with scientific consensus.
Pluralism is desirable and important in social debates.
In science it can be dangerous.
If many scientists are in agreement after their research, this is always the better basis for decision-making, especially in times of crisis like these.
Even if that means a long loop.
"The dragon's triumphant advance - how superior is China really to us," is the title of the new SPIEGEL. You can get the
digital
copy from now on
and from the kiosk on Saturday.
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Eerily beautiful: researchers succeed in 3D image of Sars-CoV-2
Photo: Peter Mindek / Nanographics / apa / dpa
The new shutdown season
Press conference: Merkel and the country leaders have agreed on these measures.
After hours of negotiations in the Chancellery, it is clear: The shutdown will be extended - and in parts tightened.
How do Merkel and the Prime Minister justify the resolutions?
Masks, home office, schools: How the shutdown is now tightened - and what that means The
federal and state governments are initially extending the corona measures until mid-February.
Schools and daycare centers will remain closed, and the wearing of medical masks will be mandatory.
The overview.
Prime Minister Haseloff on lockdown scenarios: »It's easy to model mathematically, but difficult to implement in real-political terms«
Is politics at a loss?
In any case, there is not much the state can do to reduce the number of infections, says Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister Reiner Haseloff, who also wants to fight for the skeptics.
New Corona measures: Which rules now apply to the home office
Federal Labor
Minister
Hubertus Heil has made employers more responsible.
You have to enable home office wherever the job allows.
The overview.
Corona school resolutions: »More weeks of chaos learning«
Continue as before, only a little more restrictively: the schools were the biggest point of contention at the Corona summit.
The result is a compromise - and it is already heavily criticized.
One country already wants to leave.
And what does Drosten say?
One year of the corona pandemic: "We have to persevere - and above all: step on the brakes"
The Berlin virologist Christian Drosten looks back in the SPIEGEL interview: on his mistakes in tweeting, questionable experts and his role as a political advisor.
And he predicts the year could be more dangerous than many think.
Covid-19 in worldwide numbers
Confirmed Cases: 97,607,105
Deaths: 2,093,605
Recovered from the disease: 53,843,223
Germany: 2,106,262 confirmed patients, 50,642 deaths
Sources: CSSE / Johns Hopkins University, as of January 12, 2021, 12:22 p.m.;
Robert Koch Institute, as of January 22, 2021, 12:00 a.m.
How's the vaccination going?
Pandemic in Germany: when the vaccination problem could be solved
Doses are scarce, manufacturers have delivery problems.
Nevertheless, very many people could soon have been vaccinated.
The British strategy would be even faster.
Appointment calculator and other tools: When will I be vaccinated against Corona?
Many Germans are currently wondering: When is my turn to have the vaccination?
A calculator helps with an estimate.
Additional tools such as a map with vaccination centers or an app for the 15-kilometer rule at a glance.
Serum Institute in India: The world's largest vaccine manufacturer reports factory fire
In India, a production site of the Serum Institute, which also produces AstraZeneca's corona vaccine, is on fire.
According to the company, the fire should not have any consequences for production.
Dispute between Berlin and Brussels: who knew when about the delivery bottleneck?
Biontech and Pfizer are temporarily supplying less corona vaccine.
The federal and state governments claim: The EU Commission informed about this too late.
Now the anger is great.
Problems with Sinovac: China's vaccine debacle
In the race with Biontech and Moderna, China's pharmaceutical industry is lagging behind.
State media are now trying to influence competition with disinformation - including untrue horror stories from Germany.
Risk for the elderly?
What is known about deaths after a corona vaccination
In Norway, dozens of seniors died after the corona vaccination.
Reports that the country then fundamentally corrected its vaccination recommendations are wrong - and the background is more complex.
Research news
Aerosols and corona: speaking can be just as dangerous as coughing.
The risk of corona is significantly higher indoors, that much is clear.
A study now suggests that not only singing or coughing produce many dangerous aerosols - the same applies to simply speaking.
According to experts: South Africa variant should be more contagious - but not more deadly
The mutations of the coronavirus are worries the researchers.
There are now new insights into the prevailing variant in South Africa.
Health insurance study: Israel reports success with the vaccination campaign
Within a short period of time, Israel has
vaccinated
more than two million people against the corona virus.
According to a study, the first positive effects are now emerging.
Current studies, experiences from other countries: How do you finally get the corona numbers down?
Ireland and Great Britain were able to lower the number of cases last - despite winter and mutant.
What Germany can learn from it.
Biontech study: Corona vaccine apparently protects against UK mutants
A study provides evidence that the Biontech vaccine is also effective against the new, more contagious corona mutant from Great Britain.
Whether that also applies to the line from South Africa remains open.
Corona sequencing: This is how Iceland monitors the mutants
In Germany, not even one percent of Sars-CoV-2 infections are examined for their genetic material.
Little Iceland is a pioneer in genome analyzes of the virus - there it is 100 percent.
How does the country do it?
Have a nice weekend
Yours Michail Hengstenberg
What you need to know about the virus
We have put together all the answers to the most important questions about the coronavirus for you here.
You can find more current developments at SPIEGEL.de.
