Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach has received a lot of criticism for his warning of a potentially more dangerous corona variant. Experts are more cautious – but still urge precautions.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) continues to receive heavy criticism for his warning of a possible killer variant of the corona virus.
The virologist Hendrik Streeck told the “Bild”: A variant as contagious as omicron and as dangerous as delta is not impossible, but that is by no means a “killer variant”. Streeck also said: “Germany has a high vaccination rate and a number of people who have recovered and therefore good basic protection.”
Lauterbach had previously expressed concern in the “Bild am Sonntag” about various omicron subvariants that were just developing. “It’s entirely possible that we could get a highly contagious omicron variant that’s as deadly as Delta. That would be an absolute killer option, »said the SPD politician.
The liberal health expert Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus told the “Bild” that she did not think it would be “effective to discuss the possibility of a more serious virus variant right now”. It has been scientifically proven that the corona virus mutates quickly. “No one can predict today whether this is a dangerous variant.”
Intensive care physicians: No forecasts possible
The head of the clinic for intensive care at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, Stefan Kluge, sees it similarly. “No expert can currently say for sure which variant we will get in autumn,” said Kluge, who is also a member of the presidency of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI), the Funke media group. “However, we should be prepared for the fact that another variant can occur that leads to a higher severity of the disease than is currently the case with the omicron variant.”
Kluge considers it “inappropriate” to describe a corona variant as a “killer variant”. There are other infections where the mortality rate is significantly higher than has been the case with Covid-19 so far. This includes severe bacterial sepsis (blood poisoning). “The omicron variant currently leads to very few severe Covid 19 courses,” explained Kluge. “We currently have a mortality rate of less than 0.1 percent at Omikron, comparable to the flu.”
Kluge: Getting older people to get vaccinated
Kluge advised trying a campaign to get unvaccinated people over the age of 60 to vaccinate against the corona virus. “A larger basic immunization in the population would help us significantly. In addition, the vaccines must be further developed.” According to data from the Robert Koch Institute on Monday, 76.1 percent of people in Germany have received basic protection, which usually requires two injections. 59.1 percent also received a booster vaccination.
But Kluge also warned that enough vaccine and corona tests should be available so that the vaccination and test centers can be started up again quickly if necessary. “Digitization must also be pushed forward, in many areas of the healthcare system we lack important data,” he said. “Sufficient protective materials such as FFP2 masks for hospitals and other vulnerable areas are also needed.” In addition, the federal government must tackle the issue of a shortage of skilled workers in nursing, in the health authorities and among doctors in rural areas.
Source: Stern
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