From the point of view of the Expert Council, the Omikron variant of the coronavirus brings a “new dimension” to the pandemic. What the scientists advise.
The new Corona Expert Council of the Federal Government sees a “need for action” for the coming days due to the spread of the Omikron variant. “Effective nationwide coordinated countermeasures to control the infection process must be prepared, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions,” said a first statement published on Sunday in Berlin. The ARD capital studio had previously reported on it.
According to the statement, “the greatest urgency” is particularly important for the elderly and other people with a known risk of a severe course of Covid-19. Models showed that booster vaccinations alone did not adequately contain the omicron wave, but that “additional contact restrictions” were necessary.
Corona expert advice: Avoiding larger gatherings
“In addition to the necessary political decisions, the population must be called upon to actively control infections,” said the experts. “This includes avoiding larger gatherings, the consistent, preferred wearing of FFP2 masks, especially indoors, and the increased use of rapid tests at gatherings before and during the festive season.”
The currently applicable measures would have to be continued “even more stringently”. “At the same time, the vaccination campaign should be significantly intensified. The booster vaccinations, as well as the first and second vaccinations, must be continued and accelerated further over the coming holidays with all available means.”
National and international modeling of the infection dynamics and possible peak incidences showed a “new quality of the pandemic”, it is said. “The doubling time of the omicron incidence assumed in Germany is currently in the range of around 2-4 days.” Due to the measures currently in force, this doubling time is a little slower compared to England, but significantly faster than with all previous variants.
Omikron provide “new dimension”
“If the spread of the Omikron variant in Germany continues, a relevant part of the population would be ill and / or in quarantine at the same time,” it says. “This would put an extreme strain on the health system and the entire critical infrastructure of our country.”
The Omikron variant brings a “new dimension” to the pandemic. Omikron is characterized by a greatly increased transferability and undermining existing immune protection.
Because of the rapid spread of Omikron, a new strict lockdown has been in effect in the Netherlands since Sunday, and Denmark is also shutting down large parts of public life. In order to slow down the spread of Omikron in Germany, entry from the UK will be drastically restricted from Monday. The UK was classified as a virus variant area by the federal government as of Monday – this is the highest risk category.
The Corona Expert Council to advise the Federal Government includes the virologists Christian Drosten and Hendrick Streeck, the virologist Melanie Brinkmann and the chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, Alena Buyx – as well as Thomas Mertens, the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission, and Lothar Wieler, President of the Robert Koch Institute.
Source From: Stern
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