“No Covid” is not an option: Doctors demand: Don’t just look at the incidence

Monday, February 22, 2021

“No Covid” is not an option
Doctors urge: Don’t just look at the incidence

In a joint statement, Berlin’s medical officers appeal to politicians not to make the previous corona restrictions solely dependent on the incidence values. According to the doctors, these would not depict the actual infection process.  The y are also critical of the so-called “No Covid” strategy.
According to a media report, Berlin’s medical officers are calling for easing to no longer be linked to general incidence values. It is “not expedient to link containment measures to incidences of 20, 35, 50”, according to a statement by the twelve medical officers of the Berlin districts, which is available exclusively to the “Tagesspiegel”. Accordingly, the paper was sent to the Senate Chancellery as a statement on the weekend.

“ The se incidences do not reflect the real infection process,” write the medical officers.

 The y are dependent on test capacities and people’s willingness to test. “This leads to fluctuations that do not reflect the infectious situation.”

It makes a difference whether incidences are caused by cluster outbreaks or widespread contamination and also which age groups are infected, argue the doctors. Instead, they suggest aligning measures with the possible consequences of an illness.

 The y want “intensive measures of infection prevention” for the elderly and the sick and at the same time a moderation of the measures for other groups like school children.

 The refore, an incidence analysis based on age cohorts is to be created as an “early warning system” in the future.

From the circle of medical officers it was said that there was a “big difference” whether there is a seven-day incidence of 50, all infected children are symptom-free children and those over 80 years of age have already been vaccinated, or if the incidence is 50 above all Risk groups are affected. Political measures would also have to be aligned accordingly. So-called “No Covid” strategies, as developed by leading scientists, are sharply criticized by the medical officers.

 The se would “not do justice to the realities of life,” it says.

 The se models would completely ignore other public health issues.

According to “Tagesspiegel”, the heads of the district health authorities are also calling on the Senate to provide financial resources to provide information “in particular on the scientific status of vaccinations”. A high level of vaccination coverage is “a crucial pillar” in order to be able to afford relaxation.

On Monday in Berlin, as in many other federal states, grades one to three will be the first to return to face-to-face classes. However, the compulsory attendance is suspended, the lessons take place in an alternating model.

 The  incidence in Berlin has not fallen for days, but has stagnated. On Sunday it was 56.5 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within one week.