According to the Berlin virologist Christian Drostens, the corona pandemic should be over. Experts in Austria share his opinion and the national Covid crisis coordination (GECKO) warns that the virus should not be underestimated when it becomes endemic. Virologist Dorothee von Laer told Ö1 on Tuesday that SARS-CoV-2 would be one of the “more dangerous respiratory diseases” and added that the pandemic would be over when “good immunity has been built up in the population”.
AUSTRIA. According to von Laer, “well over 90 percent of the population” has “good immunity” due to past infections and “initial widespread vaccination”. The Covid19 virus has joined the flu with the “more dangerous respiratory diseases”. The two viruses are relatively dangerous, especially for immunocompromised and older people.
Infection thanks to BA.5
The Austrian geneticist Ulrich Elling sees it similar to Drosten that a first endemic wave of the corona virus is currently taking place. “The pandemic in that sense” is over, but Covid-19 “is here to stay,” Elling told APA. The researcher works at the Institute for Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) of the Academy of Sciences (ÖAW) and defines a pandemic as a “new pathogen that encounters an immunologically unprepared population”. In this sense, the phase of dealing with the SARS-CoV-2 pathogen is actually more or less over.
Drosten’s speech regarding an endemic is correct, since it is now primarily people who have already contracted the corona virus who are infected. The widespread infection in this country can be traced back to the omicron variant, which has been circulating for around a year. Only recently, the sub-variant BA.5 caused regarding two million infected people who have now recovered. Therefore, “people have now built up a broad immunological basis,” said Elling: This is currently an “endemic wave”.
“Aftermath” currently strongly felt
However, “strong followingmath of the pandemic” can be observed, with numerous influenza and RS virus infections. In addition, there is an “erosion in the health system”, where the staff, who are tired due to the pandemic, have to deal with an immense burden and resources are lacking, especially in the children’s area. Structural problems caused by savings in the health sector are now becoming more visible.
The Ministry of Health was still cautious on Tuesday and did not want to talk regarding the end of the pandemic compared to the time in the picture. However, an improvement in the framework conditions can be observed.
Report warns of endemic impact
Before Christmas, the GECKO warned that the corona virus should not be underestimated. Even during an endemic event, “massive disruption” might occur, necessitating local action, according to the latest report.
The situation in the health sector is currently considered stable, but the coincidence with other infections such as the flu might cause problems in the hospitals. If the current trend continues, “personnel-related restrictions” cannot be ruled out, the report goes on to say. The utilization of normal and intensive care units might also worsen if the flu epidemic hits other respiratory infections.
In principle, the report states: Corona might also lead to problems in an endemic situation and cause a higher burden of disease worldwide. Long Covid will affect general well-being and ability to earn a living and drive up healthcare costs. In post-Covid outpatient clinics, the rush for appointments is still high.
T cells and vaccination offer good protection
While new coronavirus variants will still replace one another in 2021, several omicron variants now exist side by side. It can currently be observed that the omicron continues to branch and breaks down into smaller mutations that might bypass the immune response, said virologist von Laer to Ö1.
However, the combination of infection that has gone through and vaccination should also protect once morest severe or fatal courses in new variants. Von Laer explained this with the two arms of the immune system: the antibodies, which form the first line of defense once morest the virus, and the T cells, which render cells infected by the virus harmless.
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