According to Christian Drosten, chief virologist at the Charité Hospital in Berlin, the immunity of the German population will be so widespread after the winter that the virus will no longer have any impact in the summer of 2023. In an interview with German Der Tagesspiegel declares that the country has now entered an endemic.
– This winter we are experiencing the first endemic wave of sars-cov-2. In my opinion, the pandemic is over, says Drosten.
A million are infected a day
In Asia, several countries are fighting against an ever-increasing spread of infection. In China, nursing and elderly care are being asked to strengthen their preparedness in connection with the country now experiencing perhaps the largest outbreak of covid-19 since the start of the pandemic. According to a British health data company, one million people in China are feared to be infected daily and 5,000 people a day will lose their lives. The situation in China has caused India to increase its preparedness and the country is now facing random tests on entry by air.
“The vaccine has been decisive”
According to Christian Drosten, the vaccine has been crucial in curbing the pandemic in Germany and Europe. He believes that this is where China has gone.
– The big mistake in China was that there was no awareness of vaccination among the population, especially among the elderly, says Christian Drosten to Der Tagesspiegel.
In Sweden, the spread of covid-19, as well as RS virus and influenza increased recently. In an interview with SvD says Minister of Social Affairs Jakob Forssmed (KD) that restrictions are not currently relevant in Sweden, but underlines the value of more people getting vaccinated.
– Too few are fully vaccinated in Sweden! And it is vaccination that protects against serious disease when we have such a high rate of infection. It’s not restrictions that do it – it’s vaccines, says Jakob Forssmed.