The autumn wave could follow the corona summer wave. According to bioinformatician Lars Kaderali, this will not push intensive care units to the limit. Problems threatened elsewhere.
Greifswald (dpa/mv) - With a view to the corona virus and the fall, the bioinformatician Lars Kaderali warns of high sick leave and strains on the so-called critical infrastructure. “But what I can already imagine is that we will get another strong wave,” said the member of the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council of the German Press Agency.
Critical infrastructure includes the police, fire brigade, clinics, or waterworks and energy suppliers. He thinks it is less likely that the intensive care units will again reach their limits. "That too cannot be ruled out, but the probability is lower."
The scientist calls on the federal government to prepare more quickly for the fall. When revising the Infection Protection Act, he would like “a little more speed”. The summer break is approaching. After that, they would “very soon start tinkering with the Infection Protection Act again in September, when the next wave might already start”. The current corona regulations in the Infection Protection Act expire on September 23.
Kaderali considers the assessment of the corona restrictions by a specially set up committee of experts to be “only of limited use”. That takes a lot of time and probably doesn't bring much. The panel looks to the past for its conclusions. But you were dealing with a different virus and fewer vaccinations in the population. "So what you can learn from this data is also very limited."
The task of politics is now to prepare for various possible scenarios and to have a corresponding toolbox ready so that, if necessary, a quick reaction can be taken. The expert considers the most unfavorable scenario of a new virus variant, which bypasses the vaccination protection and causes severe illness, to be rather unlikely.
On the subject of the fourth vaccination, Kaderali said: "I would definitely recommend it to risk groups." Anyone who has only been vaccinated twice so far should now get the third one, also because of the ongoing summer wave. Whether everyone needs a fourth vaccination and when is the right time for it is a difficult question. The availability of an adapted vaccine for the variant to be expected then also plays a role.
