Relaxing corona measures in Bremen? “Exactly, but not now!”

Interview

Stand date: November 18, 2022.

Some federal states are easing the corona restrictions and waiving the quarantine obligation. Bremen, on the other hand, remains cautious. That’s right, says epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb.

Anyone who does his shopping these days or treats himself to a visit to the cinema might get the impression that the Corona topic has been fully covered. Some federal states have already announced that they will not quarantine infected people in the future. The federal FDP is even calling for the abolition of all corona measures. Bremen Eins spoke to epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb of the University of Bremen about this.

All protective measures should be lifted – what do you think of this request from the FDP?

I think that’s right, but not now. Personally I would prefer that after this winter we talk about how much you can do without everything. At the moment we have lower numbers, but these are quite difficult to evaluate. And I think everyone of us knows people who are currently suffering from Corona. That the pandemic is over is certainly a myth.

There are still many unvaccinated. About 20% are not vaccinated at all or only partially vaccinated. These people can still be hit hard, right?

Right. But many of them have already been affected. People have antibodies and therefore have had infections before, including many who have not been vaccinated. Some of them might think that if you’ve been infected once or twice, you have some immunity. True, but not as good as after a vaccination. And it is also clear that these were often very difficult courses.

We are currently experiencing a severe flu wave. Many adults and children suffer even worse from a corona infection. Because?

This certainly has something to do with the fact that we have protected ourselves very effectively against Corona. In the past, some basic immunity was usually built up. But we haven’t had it for the last few years and now it’s missing. And it’s certainly not geared towards the current flu virus. So it happens that children and adults in particular have more respiratory infections again – and with considerable severity. So this is coming together now and you have to watch it together.

What would you recommend to politicians? How should Bremen’s politicians behave if other federal states are now gradually picking up the measures?

Bremen did quite well in many respects. In some cases it was more liberal here, for example in schools, than in other federal states. You have traveled a good path with a clear protection component. You should stay on this course and pay attention to problems. So I would recommend looking into winter and staying cautious and ready to act. In the coming year you can then effectively relax or remove all restrictions completely.

This topic in the program:
Bremen Eins, Der Morgen, 18 November 2022, 7:35 am