DÜSSELDORF (dpa-AFX) – Despite the Ukraine war, North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) believes that the danger of the corona pandemic must not be lost sight of. “It’s time to prepare for what can still happen with Covid,” said Wüst on Friday after a visit to the Düsseldorf University Hospital. The subject of mandatory vaccination must be worked on.
Basic protection, such as the obligation to wear a mask and distance rules, must also be guaranteed in the future if necessary, said Wüst with a view to the end of the corona protection measures planned by the federal and state governments from March 20th. “It’s clear that the next wave can roll towards us in autumn or winter. All the experts tell us that and we have to be prepared for it,” warned Wüst.
Vaccination is the way out of the crisis, emphasized the head of government. For those who have hesitated so far, the Novavax vaccine is now on the market in sufficient quantities. But there is also a “surprisingly high number” of people who have not yet taken the booster vaccination, said Wüst. If the situation allows it, the corona protection measures would be reduced.
The head of the Corona crisis team in the Federal Chancellery, Major General Carsten Breuer, considers good preparation for a possible further wave of infections in autumn to be necessary. “We don’t know exactly what’s coming and we don’t know exactly when it’s going to happen. We have to be prepared,” said Breuer after visiting the university hospital with Wüst. The experience gained and the expert knowledge would help to get the autumn off to a good start.
At the same time, he appealed to take advantage of the sufficient available vaccinations. “I can only urge everyone to get vaccinated, to get boosters.” There is enough vaccine and the infrastructure is in place. “Anyone who wants to get an appointment today, anyone who wants to be vaccinated today, can usually do it within one day,” explained Breuer.
The omicron wave was also well managed in the critical infrastructure areas, which include the energy sector, telecommunications and medical care: “If I look at the critical infrastructures nationwide, we found that they didn’t come under so much pressure in the omicron wave as it could have happened. And that was due to good preparation.” This also applies to the close cooperation between the federal, state and local governments. Many small steps such as filling up the supply chains and adjusting the working time models would have contributed to this.
According to the management, the first two corona patients from Gangelt in the Heinsberg district were admitted to the University Hospital in Düsseldorf on February 25, 2020. “Since then, this virus hasn’t let us go,” said Professor Frank Schneider, Medical Director and CEO of the university clinic. The crisis then came in a way that could not have been imagined in the worst dreams.
So far, around 2,000 corona patients have been treated. “We were able to help many, but unfortunately not many.” Forecasts for the pandemic are very difficult. “We hope and wish that it won’t get bad, but Omikron will continue to follow us and be with us and other variants too,” said the medical director with a view to the fall.
In the clinic areas close to the patient, 96 to 97 percent of the employees have been vaccinated against Corona. With the new vaccine from Novavax, there were eight vaccinations in this first week, which is relatively few. Last year there were over 30,000 vaccinations, including children of employees./dot/DP/eas
Leverage must be between 2 and 20
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