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Drosten asks citizens to keep a contact diary
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Berlin wants to control corona infections
Berlin is one of the crown hot spots in Germany. Ruling Mayor Michael Müller and virologist Christian Drosten explain here how the situation will be controlled.
What to do about the increasing number of infections in Germany? Chief virologist Christian Drosten considers two useful measures in the fight against Corona. The mayor of Berlin says clearly: the time to celebrate is over.
reThe chief virologist of the Berlin Charité, Christian Drosten, warns against wasting the “credit” that Germany gained in the fight against the spread of the coronavirus. In view of the increasing number of infections, Germany is now in a “difficult situation,” Drosten told a joint press conference with Berlin Mayor Michael Müller on Friday: “The virus has not changed.”
He regretted the “wisps” in public information. Some people would question whether the Covid-19 disease is really that dangerous, Drosten criticized. Therefore, it is important to ensure that the correct information is disseminated here.
Drosten reiterated his assessment that more people die from the corona virus in Germany than in African countries, for example, due to the aging of the population. Mortality from infection is “one percent or a little more” in Germany. That would be roughly 20 times more mortality than the flu.
Drosten no longer sees fit a closure or a total restriction of contacts as in March. “Hopefully we no longer have to act in such a generalized way. Because we know exactly how the disease spreads. ” This occurs in groups, so two measures are particularly efficient: on the one hand, Drosten mentioned the use of oral and nasal protection and, on the other hand, the fight against these groups of infections: “Health authorities must take a look, that can certainly be done with more precision in some places ”. Often, one still does not know where the source of the infection is.
Cluster contact journal for everyone
But the population must also get involved. Each individual should keep a “group contact diary”, in case a chain of infection needs to be traced. When in doubt, many people no longer know who they met seven or ten days before. “We are completely on the right track. We have learned a lot and hope we can avoid such a blockage. “
Ulrich Frei, Head of Patient Care at the Berlin Charité, already sees Germany as “an exponential growth approach”. Intensive care units are full of first-wave patients, so there is less room for maneuver today than in the spring. There are still a lot of vacant intensive care beds and ventilators, but there is a lack of nursing staff: “We have an absolute shortage of care in intensive care medicine,” Frei said. This is compounded by infections among staff, leading to quarantine.
The head of Charité, Heyo Kroemer, sees a similar development in Berlin as in Paris. Three or four weeks ago, the situation in the Berlin and German clinics was still stable, but this phase ended for two weeks: “Our number of admissions is increasing and so is the number of ventilated patients.” He called for greater coordination between federal states in fighting clumps of infections.
The mayor of Berlin, Michael Müller (SPD), makes the meeting of the groups responsible for the growing number of infections in the capital. On the one hand, there are large groups and “touching each other, singing together, consuming alcohol”, from which chains of contagion arise that continue to the workplace.
On the other hand, Müller also considers smaller celebrations in closed and poorly ventilated rooms a problem: “You don’t have to prevent everyone from living together, but you have to watch these two situations.” He appealed to the “20 to 40 year old community” to protect the elderly and not come together carelessly. Now is not the time to celebrate, contact opportunities must be reduced.
Shift work for Berlin schools in winter
Unfortunately, there are bottlenecks in the health authorities. There are 200 job openings and the money, but there is no adequate staff. “Unfortunately, we can’t fill it as quickly as we need people to,” Müller said. That is why they resort to “redeployment” of Bundeswehr staff and employees, but they also expect help from the federal government.
Müller also announced a timetable for Berlin schools in winter, in which unconventional paths are traversed. According to the Senate deliberations, a “shift operation” is planned with a division between the morning and afternoon classes to avoid contact as much as possible. Technical devices such as ventilation systems are also being purchased, and then there will also be “ventilation interruptions” in the classroom.
