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Christian Drosten
Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa
The vaccination campaign is picking up speed and the seven-day index is also developing positively.
This certainly raises hopes for one or the other that the overall corona situation will ease, in time for the summer holidays.
And these hopes could be fulfilled, as the Berlin virologist Christian Drosten explained.
He has shown confidence about the course of the summer pandemic.
"I think that in June we will see effects that can be ascribed to the vaccination for the first time," said the director of virology at the Charité University Hospital on Sunday evening in the ZDF "Heute Journal": "Summer can be quite good in Germany."
When asked about vacation, outdoor dining and barbecuing with friends, he explained that many things can be allowed outside, especially in the outdoor area.
But one shouldn't fall into "total euphoria" too early.
According to the RKI, the number of new infections reported within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants was 118.6 nationwide on Sunday morning (previous day: 121.5; previous week: 146.5).
The incidence has been falling relatively continuously for about two weeks.
Banger view towards autumn
For the autumn, herd immunity will improve the situation.
"The disease will not have disappeared in the autumn," said Drosten. Unvaccinated people would continue to be infected and become ill.
But there will no longer be an uncontrolled spread.
Added to this, however, is the situation of younger children who have not yet been vaccinated.
Many adults had their vaccination six months behind them in the fall, and their protection was becoming weaker.
It is less about the risk of the vaccinated adults becoming sick themselves than about the risk of passing the virus on to children.
The vaccination studies for young children are complicated and take time.
"I'm not so sure whether you can vaccinate younger children that quickly," said Drosten.
jok / dpa
