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According to virologist Klaus Vander, contact tracing has already reached its limits in Austria: “The virus has reached the population.”
Crown numbers in Austria are increasing. More than 1,500 new infections were reported again on Tuesday. On Monday, the federal government announced new measures to combat the corona pandemic.
Virologist Klaus Vander from Graz believes that these are adequate to slow the increase in the number of infections, but cannot eradicate the virus, according to the doctor.
Differentiated handling
As explained by the director of the Institute of Hygiene and Hospital Microbiology in Graz in the “ORF” interview, the measures can help “to counteract a further increase in numbers”. At the same time, however, the social and economic effects should not be ignored.
It advocates a differentiated management of the virus. “A large part of the tests mainly discriminate against the asymptomatic, here we would have to address risk groups or define representative samples that provide information for the population,” says Vander.
“We hope to eradicate the virus that we have lost”
The virus must now also be evaluated differently than at the beginning of the pandemic: “You have to keep in mind that these measures were actually defined at the beginning of the pandemic, when I was still hoping to be able to eradicate this virus, we have that hope.” now really lost. We cannot eradicate it, we can only learn to deal with it in the best possible way. “
Vander is not very optimistic about contact tracing. This has already been abandoned in Slovenia and, according to the virologist, the system does not have a great future in Austria either.
“I have no more chance of blocking transmission routes”
“We already know that we can no longer establish causal relationships with a large part of the transmissions, that is, transmissions. That is why I say: the virus has reached the population in the meantime, we no longer have a chance to avoid transmission routes. Actually, contact tracing and therefore containment has reached its limits here. “
Now it comes down to the personal responsibility of each individual. On Monday, Chancellor Kurz mentioned contact tracing as an important point to avoid a second blockade.
The doctor did not want to make a prognosis about the vaccine: “None of us know when the vaccine will actually be available and none of us know how good the distribution rate will be in Austria.” It depends on the level of vaccination coverage. According to the virologist, it is obvious that the virus will continue to be with us for years and decades to come.
