Sunday 19th December 2021
“New dimension” of the pandemic
Corona Expert Council urgently warns of the Omicron wave
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The Corona Expert Council sees a “need for action” in the coming days. Above all, he suggests “well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions,” as it says in a statement. For Germany, a “very high disease burden from Omikron” is expected.
In an initial statement, the Federal Government’s Expert Council on the Coronavirus Pandemic has spoken out in favor of the rapid introduction of contact restrictions because of the highly contagious Omikron variant. The current Corona situation results in “a need for action in the coming days”, according to the paper entitled “Classification and Consequences of the Omicron Wave”, which is available on ntv.de.
The experts paint a dramatic picture if Omikron should spread as quickly in Germany as in other countries. There is talk of “enormous challenges” and a “new dimension” in the pandemic. The experts warn not only of risks for the critical infrastructure, but also of “considerable overloading of the hospitals”.
“Effective nationwide coordinated countermeasures to control the infection process must be prepared, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions,” write the 19 experts who unanimously approved the paper. Current measures would have to be “continued even more stringently”. The vaccination campaign should be significantly intensified at the same time, it is said. It should be continued and accelerated “with all available means” over the holidays.
The new federal government under Chancellor Olaf Scholz set up the Expert Council as an advisory body. He has no political decision-making power. The council should meet once a week to exchange ideas about the current corona situation and possible measures – as unanimously as possible, as it was said at the beginning. The council includes virologists, as well as representatives from the Robert Koch Institute and the German Ethics Council, doctors and officials. The statement that has now been submitted is the body’s first statement.
The expert council warns in the paper that all models showed that booster vaccinations alone do not sufficiently contain the omicron wave, but that additional contact restrictions are necessary. “In addition to the necessary political decisions, the population must be called upon to actively control infections.” This included avoiding larger gatherings, the consistent, preferred wearing of FFP2 masks, especially indoors, as well as the increased use of rapid tests at gatherings before and during the festive season. Particularly vulnerable groups require increased protective measures through high-frequency testing and FFP2 masks, it is said.
For the coming weeks and months, the Corona Council expects “enormous challenges that require everyone to act promptly and jointly”. In addition to consistent action, stringent explanations are crucial, says the three-page paper. “The omicron wave hits a population that has been exhausted by a nearly two-year pandemic and its control and in which massive tensions are evident every day,” the experts continue to write. A comprehensive communication strategy with comprehensible explanations of the new risk situation and the resulting measures is essential.
Experts expect “very high disease burden”
Omikron is bringing “a new dimension to the pandemic,” the statement said. The experts mention the greatly increased transferability and the undermining of existing immune protection by the mutant. “It infects significantly more people in a very short time and also includes those who have recovered and those who have been vaccinated more in the infection process.” This could lead to an explosive spread.
At the same time it is said that so far it cannot be assumed “that compared to the delta variant, people without immune protection will have a milder course of the disease”. However, reference is made to studies according to which a booster vaccination shows “significantly improved immune protection”. The conclusion: “In Germany, however, due to the comparatively large vaccination gap that exists in adults in particular, a very high disease burden from Omikron can be expected.”
As has already been observed in Great Britain, the Expert Council warns of risks for the so-called critical infrastructure in the event of rapidly rising incidences. This includes hospitals, police, fire brigades, rescue services, telecommunications, electricity and water supply and the corresponding logistics. “That is why we need comprehensive and immediate preparations to protect our country’s critical infrastructure.” For the beginning of 2022, precautions would have to be taken in the coming days, “at the political and organizational level of the federal government, the federal states, the cities and municipalities”. Hospitals, for example, would have to maintain sufficient stocks of materials and medicines. In addition, the experts are calling for “rapid political action” over the holidays.
The experts are concerned about the state of the health system: They expect Omikron to “significantly overload the hospitals”. Even if all hospitals concentrate exclusively on the care of emergencies and urgent interventions, it will no longer be possible to provide adequate quality care for all sick people. “A strategic patient relocation can no longer make a significant contribution to regional relief due to the high level of pollution that is to be expected,” the paper says.
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