After the opening of trade, around December 20, one should see whether the number of new infections “if the lockdown for unvaccinated people is maintained and the number of third-party vaccinations” increases will actually go further down. In view of the high numbers, it is fundamental to keep the option open, to wait with the next easing steps or even to tighten the reins again. With this two-stage approach, politicians are sending a clear signal to both the catering industry and the population that caution is still advisable. The fact that the western federal states now open earlier than the east, with significantly higher numbers of infections, is “medically incomprehensible” for Greil.
“40 times reduced neutralization”
Greil said that in view of the data on the Omikron variant, “the third and fourth vaccination must now be massively started in the background. I think it is very important that the Austrian Vaccination Commission is aware of the role it plays in this regard If we hear from the first experiments that we have a 40-fold reduction in neutralization with a second vaccination alone, then it is very important that we may have to shorten the time interval for the third vaccination, which was six months we’re not running into a new wave here. “
The data from Great Britain and South Africa would suggest that the Omikron variant could displace the Delta variant. “And we are still in a favorable situation due to the lockdown effect, so that the spread is not that strong. We also have the effect that children are not in school over Christmas and meet fewer people of the same age. But we have to See clearly that you now have to think about planning the next vaccination, “said the doctor.
When asked whether he had the impression that the new federal government was listening more to experts on corona issues, Greil said he had the impression “that things are already being dealt with in a much more coordinated and clear manner”. Now the position is clear, “that we have a medical crisis” and a successful fight again has a central role to play.
Source: Nachrichten