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Virologist Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl from MedUni Vienna was a guest at ZiB 2 on Tuesday. He spoke about Corona’s most important questions.
In the ZiB-2 interview with Armin Wolf, virologist Elisabeth Puchhammer-Stöckl ventured into the near and distant future. In light of the recent surge in crown numbers, he spoke of a “worrisome” condition. Given that the situation in hospitals represents the effect of infection values from two weeks ago, it is expected that hospital occupancy and intensive care beds will increase in the coming days.
At the same time, the doctor did not advocate newer and stricter rules. First of all, it is about motivating the population to adhere to the rules. Because there is no point in introducing measures that nobody wants to adhere to. The school sector is an important aspect for the doctor. Schools must “always remain open.”
“I could never have imagined it”
Then Puchhammer-Stöckl surprised with a statement. As recently as summer, I couldn’t have imagined that we could get into such a situation. “No one could have imagined it”, she is convinced. And what happens when the numbers keep increasing? At some point, contact tracing will reach its limits. On Tuesday in Salzburg it was seen how fast it can go.
If contact tracing is no longer guaranteed, the emergency plans would go into effect, “all countries have such plans.” In an additional step, it is specifically about protecting the vulnerable group, that is, all those people who have a higher risk of developing Covid-19. If that is also unsuccessful, then it is only about supplying the population, that is, then it is important to make sure that the stores are supplied. Postscript: “We are far from so far.”
No shortening of quarantine
The doctor was irritated by the statement of the AGES infectologist Franz Allenberger, who had stated on a popular radio series over the weekend that the protection of the nose and mouth had no verifiable effect. “There is study after study after study” that would prove the mask’s effectiveness, Puchhammer-Stöckl emphasized. Yes, it does not offer 100% protection, but it does offer very good protection. It is also about how many viruses a person ingests through mucous membranes.
At worst it would be less masked than without, which would also mean a smoother course. “I’m not going anywhere without a mask,” said Puchhammer Stöckl, who also refused to shorten the quarantine to five days. With a reduction to eight days, he could still live. Anything that is even shorter is no longer justifiable from their point of view.
