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Virologist Christian Drosten estimates that the first half of 2021 could once again be very exhausting. He also commented on criticism of the purchase of vaccines and defended the decisions of the EU.
The chief virologist of the Berlin Charité, Christian Drosten, expects the first six months of the Corona crisis to be a challenge in 2021. “I am already looking forward to the new year with optimism, but I think the first half of the year will be very complicated, “Drosten told the” Berliner Morgenpost “(Sunday edition). but only if you manage to vaccinate a large number of people in the first six months. “
“Practically impossible to evaluate that in hindsight.”
Regarding criticism of the vaccine procurement procedure, Drosten said “it is now virtually impossible to evaluate it in retrospect.” The EU had to request the vaccine months in advance and at the time it did not even know “if the vaccine in question would work”. The scientist noted that after the Biontech vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine had already been approved in Great Britain. “It should catch up very quickly in the EU, because this vaccine can also be vaccinated in normal medical practices. With this vaccine, you don’t need to keep cold.”
With a view to discussing an extension of the confinement in Germany, the virologist said that in view of the lower number of tests during the holidays, there are currently no reliable data. However, the percentage of positive tests shows “that the numbers are not going down at the moment. That is not good.” Only in mid-January was it possible to say whether the blockade would have to last until February.
