“We now absolutely have to control the infection activity again by means of contact measures.” The virologist expects a very hard winter for the economy, with renewed lockdown measures and contact restrictions.
In Drosten’s view, the situation is more complicated than it was a year ago. The delta variant also quickly turns double immunized ones into vectors. At the same time, these people feel safe and move freely in society. “This is how the virus comes to the unvaccinated and they stand out as serious cases.”
Measures such as 3G or even 2G are not enough to reduce the number of infections far enough in view of the delta variant, according to Drosten. Even the 1G rule, which also requires vaccinated people to be tested, is not effective. One of the insurmountable problems with the 1G rule is the logistics, which simply cannot be set up to the required extent. Instead, it is imperative that selected hospitals be financially set up in such a way that they can afford to keep intensive care beds free and hire additional staff.