“I think we will have a problem with Omikron in Germany from January,” said the scientist from the Berlin Charité and leading corona expert in Europe, Christian Drosten, on Tuesday in the “Coronavirus Update” podcast at NDR-Info. This problem could last into the summer, he warned. In South Africa, the growth rates are high despite the summer that is beginning there. “And that’s why I wouldn’t say at the moment that the pandemic in Germany will be over by Easter if Omikron takes over.” So far, he has known about 25 to 30 Omikron cases in Germany from his exchange with colleagues, reported Drosten. The number is not complete and will increase “in a very short time”.
Many unanswered questions
However, the virologist emphasized that there were still many unanswered questions about the variant and that more data would have to be awaited. Drosten spoke several times of a “guessing hour”. The starting positions in South Africa and England, where Omikron is spreading at a worrying speed, are also different than in Germany. He doesn’t want to paint the devil on the wall either, but he thinks caution is necessary in view of the changes in the virus, said the Charité researcher.
At Omikron the “stupidest combination” of properties is to be feared: immune escape and gain in fitness – a variant that escapes the antibodies of vaccinated and convalescents better and is also more contagious. The vaccination gaps in Germany have to be closed, that is the first priority, said Drosten. Also in view of the severe courses that have now been observed in children in South Africa, it is to be feared that Omikron is “not harmless” for those who have not been vaccinated. One should not fall into euphoria over reports of mild courses in recovered and vaccinated people.
“Does not look good”
The Austrian virologist Florian Krammer, who works in the USA, was not overly optimistic about the Omikron variant on Tuesday. Even if there is still not enough data available and the uncertainty is great to be able to assess the situation with Omikron, “it doesn’t look good,” he said in a discussion via live stream organized by the Linz University of Art Has. Because he was unable to confirm initial assessments that the virus mutation was more harmless compared to Delta. The “number of new infections is rising steeply” and the number of admissions to hospitals is also increasing, he said. “The safe assumption is that this variant is just as dangerous as any other,” he further clarified.
However, there is still uncertainty regarding the vaccine. He considers it unlikely that research will have to “go back to the start” because of Omikron. Anyone who has basic immunity to corona has antibody-producing cells, some of which “can also recognize omicrons”. These cells would be reactivated with a specific booster, so that a protective effect could build up quickly – in seven to ten days, according to Krammer’s assumption.
Problematic for the unvaccinated
In his opinion, it would be problematic for the unvaccinated. It can get “complicated” when the omicron and delta circulate side by side. Due to a lack of basic immunization against Corona, boosting could not be done, the virologist explained. Questions such as, for example, should first stitches be given against Delta or Omikron, or in parallel, are currently open to him.
Source: Nachrichten
