Germany is bickering again. Some would prefer to declare the corona pandemic over and go on with “business as usual”, while others are looking forward to autumn with horror. One thing in particular is currently being fought over: the corona isolation obligation. Introduced to contain the spread of the virus and prevent further contamination. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach still sees “no reason to change the isolation rules”, as he now emphasized, but the voices against are getting louder. Among others, Andreas Gassen, head of the panel doctor, and Andrew Ullmann, health expert of the FDP, advocate the abolition of the obligation to isolate. "We no longer need government guidelines," said Ullmann in the stern interview. Who is right?
The corona isolation obligation seems to be a phased-out model. At the moment, everyone who is "proven to be positive" still has to isolate themselves for five days and, according to the "urgent recommendation" of the Robert Koch Institute, should only leave the house if the rapid test is negative. But nobody is really keeping an eye on it at the moment. "We can no longer trace all infections," said Ullmann. The RKI continues to publish the current infection numbers, but for some time now with the restriction that this "information only provided a very incomplete picture of the infection numbers".
The seven-day incidence of 607 was transmitted by the institute on Friday. In truth, it is likely to be many times higher. Experts like Thorsten Lehr, who developed the Covid simulator, fear that the number of unreported cases could currently be three times higher than the official statistics. The majority, it is assumed, tests themselves at home, but not at the chargeable test stations, not to mention PCR tests. Or even proceed according to the principle: What I don't know doesn't bother me. And the virus continues to spread.
"If the [infection] numbers were lower, it would be easier to discuss an end to the obligation to isolate," says Stefan Kluge, director of the intensive care clinic at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf. The discussion is again particularly difficult for the clinics at the moment, because on the one hand they want to prevent infections, but on the other hand they also suffer a lot from staff shortages. Operations are still being postponed in many places, he says. But: "If we now say that everyone can come back if they feel well, we will also see more infections among patients or employees in the clinics." Of course, this poses a problem for vulnerable patients.
The question of risk is currently one that has many answers. Josef Franz Lindner, he is a professor of public law, medical law and legal philosophy at the University of Augsburg, thinks, for example, that "one must express clear doubts about the proportionality of the obligation to isolate". Because only in the case of serious viral diseases is there an obligation to isolate. "And this severity is not given with the current virus variant," he says. Especially in the case of symptom-free infected people, an obligation to isolate is actually not tenable. He is therefore of the opinion that the federal states could suspend the obligation to isolate, that would be justified.
In the current summer wave, the Omikron subline BA.5 is up to mischief. But another variant is already in the starting blocks - and it is causing experts headaches. "BA.2.75 has a further eight mutations in addition to the 29 mutations that the BA.2 lineage already has in the spike protein. It can be assumed that such an abundance of new mutations have the properties to circumvent immune protection , will be further strengthened," Ulrich Elling from the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna recently told ZDF. That would mean that infection is more easily possible despite vaccination and/or previous infection. However, it is still too early to assess how the variant could affect the German infection process. Data is missing.
Nevertheless, FDP health expert Ullman assesses the situation in a similar way to Lindner. Anyone with symptoms should stay at home. "But if you only have one positive test and no other problems, you can clarify with your doctor whether a sick note is necessary at all," he says. He suggests that anyone who does not want to get infected should “take appropriate protective measures: keep your distance, wear masks or get vaccinated”. He pleads for society to take responsibility. Even asymptomatic infected people should minimize contacts. How much depends on where you work. "As a teacher, I would be more cautious about teaching a whole class. It also makes little sense to work closely with the patient if you have tested positive, especially when it comes to immunocompromised people," he says.
Instead of completely abolishing the obligation to isolate, it would be worth considering, suggests the physician Kluge, adapting the obligation to isolate to specific occupations. "The risk for the employees differs considerably in the occupational groups," says Kluge. "Anyone who works outside of the health system, for example, and has hardly any close contact with other people, could theoretically also work with a positive test if they feel well. The risk of infection to others would be very low here."
In many other countries, there is no longer any discussion, there a decision has long been made - for more freedom and, in case of doubt, more virus. In the United Kingdom and Switzerland, all corona measures and with them the obligation to isolate have already been lifted. France and Austria will follow suit from August. In the Alpine country, however, those who have tested positive must wear an FFP2 mask if they want to take part in public life - unless they are outdoors and can keep a distance of two meters from other people.
Sources: Science Media Center, RKI
