The virologist Christian Drosten criticizes the idea of protecting only old people’s home residents as unethical and irresponsible in the committee of inquiry. He rejects doubts about the vaccine.
Dresden. The virologist Christian Drosten criticized the so -called diligence strategy as “absolutely out of discussion”. The proposal to combat corona pandemic only to protect old people’s home residents and do without general contact reductions is irresponsible and unethical, Drosten said on Thursday as an expert in the Saxon state parliament committee. Large parts of the population, including patients in domestic care and millions of seniors living alone, could not have been cared for with a “free -running virus”.
Double doubts about the positive effects of vaccination rejected Drosten. From a scientific point of view, this debate is obsolete. The number of infections and deaths decreased primarily in the phase of the more dangerous virus variants. In the time of the omicron variant, serious illnesses could have been mitigated. He sees a direct connection between the low vaccination rate in Saxony and the high load of intensive care beds in the hospitals in the Free State.
Opinion and truth
When asked, Drosten admitted that a statement by the Leopoldina for the introduction of an obligation to vaccinate for doctors and nursing staff, where he participated, had not proven to be correct afterwards. At that time, the scientists involved could not have predicted that the omikron variant was eliminated the death rate and the situation was no longer as critical, the virologist of the Berlin Charité admitted. One was of the opinion that the vaccination of medical staff was able to request to protect patients. Many nurses did not understand these motives. The Leopoldina, the National Academy of Science, was very popular at the time because of the recommendation, as Drosten said.
