“The drugs are helpful, but they are not a substitute for a vaccination.” At the beginning of 2021, she assumed that the start of vaccinations would herald the end of the pandemic. “I would not have thought that so many people would not be vaccinated”, says the virologist today. “I think that’s a shame because with the vaccine we have a good tool in hand to end this pandemic.”
A lesson from almost two years of pandemic must be: “Unfortunately, you can’t make promises or exclude anything.” Will 2022 be better? “My impression is that many people no longer have any motivation to continue dealing with the pandemic.” Ciesek expects “a very high workload”, both for research and in the clinics.