Karl on all channels …
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (58, SPD) expects a large wave of the more contagious Coronavirus variant Omikron in Germany at the turn of the year.
“We don’t have a big, fast wave yet. That will change at the turn of the year and in the first week of January ”, Lauterbach warned in the morning at WDR 2.
In some European countries such as Great Britain the Omikron variant is already predominant.
In the three-hour broadcast The 58-year-old from Cologne answered many questions from radio listeners about the topics of corona and vaccination in the “Morgenmagazin” of his home broadcaster.
Lauterbach assumes that the booster vaccinations that are currently being forced will not be enough.
“Personally, I would expect a fourth vaccination,” he said. However, this has not yet been scientifically proven. “What we know for sure is that we need a booster vaccination.”
With the booster vaccinations one could “prevent 70 to 80 percent of symptomatic cases of illness”, emphasized the minister. “Later in the year” a fourth vaccination is likely to be necessary, which is specially tailored to the Omikron variant.
info.bild.de | Eisenach is no longer independent, but has been incorporated into the Wartburg district
Will we never get rid of Corona again?
The frequently asked question of whether further vaccinations will always be necessary in the future cannot yet be answered seriously. “That will depend on how long the booster vaccination works. You can’t say anything about the vaccination routine yet, ”said Lauterbach.
Therefore, it is not possible to predict what Corona will look like in a year. “Nobody knows. That would be a look into the crystal ball. But I assume that new variants will emerge. Nobody can say whether they will become more dangerous, ”said the doctor.
In any case, you have to maintain “flexibility” and constantly adapt the measures to the respective developments and new medical findings.
Lauterbach is now looking forward to Christmas with the family. The politician admitted in view of the tireless work that he is currently working on as health minister.
Neither for Christmas nor for New Year’s Eve is he planning a big celebration: “I will celebrate in a very small group. Less than five people. I’m going to celebrate a contemplative festival and I advise everyone to do so, ”he said the day before Christmas Eve.
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