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Tuesday, October 27, 2020
When the number of infections increases, but the starting position remains favorable compared to other European countries, the virologist Christian Drosten recommends a short break: “If the load becomes too great, you have to take a break”, says the scientist of Charité. Such breakups could also go in series.
Virologist Christian Drosten has spoken out in favor of a temporary closure. “If the burden becomes too great, then you have to take a break,” said the Charité scientist on the new episode of NDR-Info’s “Coronavirus Update” podcast. “You can’t trade this virus. This virus just forces a lockdown when a certain number of cases occur.”
For the moment, the incidence in Germany remains comparatively low and, compared to other European countries, Germany is in a favorable situation. “If we hit the brakes now, it would have a very lasting effect.” Drosten described the advantage of a temporary closure, which, for example, could also make exceptions like open schools: “Everyone knows in advance that they are limited in time.”
About three weeks – It takes a little over a quarantine period from a scientist’s point of view. “The incidence is then reduced considerably and then also reduced in the long term under certain circumstances.” That is a victory for everyone. These planned mini-locks, also known as “circuit breakers”, already exist in some parts of Britain. They are supposed to protect the system from overloads.
A truck rolling down the slope.
Drosten also finds effective a series of blockades based on a fixed schedule, which over a longer period of time breaks the wave again and again: “until spring, until the situation improves again, until there is a vaccine available, until temperatures improve again. ” Such a strict plan would have the advantage that the economy could plan better.
The virologist serially compared such mini-locks to driving a heavy truck with faulty brakes. If you go down the side of a mountain into a curve and can only brake for five seconds, then you will come to the conclusion: “It will not be enough if we only brake once, we have to do it every few hundred meters,” so Drosten. Above all, you should start braking early when the truck is still moving slowly.
The virologist also advocated for rapid tests to detect infections in groups of people. If an infected person was previously in the office, for example, everyone should do a rapid antigen test there, “and in 15 minutes we’ll know if we have a group here or not,” he said. “Then we isolate the whole group.” This goes faster than the common PCR test previously, whose result takes days. But it will certainly take some time to make these decisions for a mission of this type in Germany, “and I have the feeling that we have less and less time.”
