the Epidemiologist Berit Lange from the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research does not rule outthat it is because of the Omicron variant of the coronavirus again in January for more drastic measures like School closings could come. “Omikron’s quick transferability means that events can get out of control extremely quickly without the real reaction time that we usually still have up to now,” she said in an online conversation with journalists on Wednesday.
Even if school closings should always be the last resort to relieve the health systems of adults, one must now prepare “that one may go to school in January in a significantly different way than is currently planned,” she said. “This preparation on the part of the school authorities is important, precisely in order to minimize the serious negative consequences should closings actually become necessary.”
The President of the German Society for Pediatric and Adolescent Medicine, Jörg Dötsch, said: “Based on the South African data, it does not look as if Omikron is heavier in children. This initial suspicion that Omikron is making children in South Africa much more ill than was the case with other variants has not been confirmed in the form. ”The However, the variant is considerably more contagious. “And that’s why it could well be that we will see a very sharp increase in infections among the children again.”
Dötsch is also a member of the new corona expert committee that advises the federal government. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) expects a statement from the council on Omikron before Christmas. “The children don’t seem to get seriously ill,” said Dötsch, referring to the variant. “The problem for the entire health system, however, is that there is a risk of overload due to the high number of infected people.”