The current events are a kind of “deja vu” to the previous year with “different omens”. On the part of politics, however, it is also true this time that although they are busy extinguishing acute “fires”, the capacities for medium- and long-term thinking are apparently lacking.
Immunization coverage too low
Despite all the high spirits in the past two summers, it was clear that Covid-19 would come back as a respiratory disease in autumn. This year it was hoped that the comeback would be slowed down as much as possible by the vaccinations. Obviously, the vaccination rate in Austria is not yet sufficient. “The problem is far from over,” said the scientist from the Research Center for Molecular Medicine (CeMM) of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (ÖAW).
Further corona waves to be expected
Again, of course, everything now revolves around the acute questions about pressing the current infection numbers, possible lockdowns and possible new words for it. Unfortunately, this is not only the case in Austria. “But actually we should now think about how we should deal with the waves that may be expected in January, February or March”, said Bergthaler at the event entitled “Research in the spotlight – what now?”.
Virus keeps evolving
In addition, there is a need to address what happens when the vaccinations and treatments progress, but the virus continues to develop as well. Here one also has to think in the direction of and beyond the summer of 2022, according to the researcher, who has been closely following the development of variants of the SARS-CoV-2 virus since the beginning of last year.
Pandemic “not over yet”
He has the impression that “very little is happening in the future.” But that would be all the more important now. So it should be politically opportune to take measures in the warm season in order to be in a better epidemiological position later. This summer, for example, the City of Vienna “mastered this task astonishingly well,” said Bergthaler, despite the low numbers. Here at least the basic idea that the pandemic “is not over yet” apparently had a preventive effect.
(Those: APA)