By Inna Hemme
The number of Covid infections is increasing and influenza is rampant. The Berlin doctor Dr. Carsten Lekutat explains how we can protect ourselves
The mask requirement in the capital fell at the beginning of the year. At the end of the year, you can see more and more Berliners wearing masks again on buses and trains, in doctor’s offices and shops. Voluntarily. Rightly so?
The fact is: More people in Berlin are demonstrably becoming infected with Corona again. The number of cases confirmed in the laboratory increased significantly from mid-October, according to the State Office of Public Health (Lageso). Overall, Covid-19 continues to account for 88 percent of the cases reported to Lageso.
Nowadays, however, only seriously ill people are usually tested, so the number of unreported cases can be assumed to be high. Nevertheless, the situation is not comparable to the pandemic times. A large part of the population is now immunized through vaccinations and infections.
Does it still make sense to wear a mask?
Does it still make sense to wear a mask? “Absolutely!” says Berlin general practitioner Dr. Carsten Lekutat.
“A well-fitting FFP2 mask can protect quite effectively not only against Corona, but also against other respiratory infections. This also includes the flu. I therefore recommend that high-risk patients in particular wear a mask voluntarily, for example on public transport or in the doctor’s office. And everyone who comes into contact with high-risk patients anyway.”
Practices can anyway impose an obligation to wear a mask in accordance with their house rules.
And what about everyone else? The same applies here: If you don’t feel like lying flat, you can enormously reduce your chance of infection thanks to a mask in crowded rooms. This also applies to newly vaccinated people. The doctor: “The corona vaccination helps prevent serious illnesses, but unfortunately it does not 100% prevent infection or the passing on of the virus to others.”
In addition to the corona vaccination, the flu vaccination is currently recommended. “Older people shouldn’t forget to get vaccinations against pneumonia or shingles!”
But can we expect a mask requirement again soon? The President of the Berlin Medical Association, Peter Bobbert, spoke out against it in public. But he also recommends voluntary wearing, especially for vulnerable groups.
Safer is safer with a mask!