Corona risk when traveling On a vacation flight into the fourth wave?

Status: 06/18/2021 5:16 a.m.

Falling incidences and more and more vaccinated people, many people hope for a carefree vacation – almost without Corona. But does the travel wave threaten a setback for autumn like last year? Four experts offer advice on how to reduce the risk of a fourth wave.

By Stefan Keilmann, tagesschau.de

For weeks the number of new infections in Germany is falling , In addition, the vaccination campaign against Corona is making progress: Every second person in this country has already received the first vaccination . Many people are now all the more hoping for an end to the pandemic and a piece of normality. The tour operators register one Record increase in bookings , In many holiday regions in Germany, it is hardly possible to get hold of a room for the holidays.

But what does this mean for fighting the pandemic? Last summer, the incidences were also low, many people traveled within and outside of Europe – and some brought the virus back with them. According to In the meantime, every second new infection was due to a trip abroad due to a special evaluation by the Robert Koch Institute . But can the experiences from last year be carried over to the summer of this year that easily? After all, many people are protected by vaccinations – but there are significantly more contagious virus mutants such as the Delta variant . Therefore, experts are already warning against that there could be significantly more infections in autumn . How is vacation possible in the second Corona summer – and what has to happen so that there is no fourth wave in autumn? tagesschau.de interviewed scientists from various disciplines.

Ralf Bartenschlager, virologist

To person Prof. Dr. Ralf Bartenschlager is President of the Society for Virology and heads the Department of Molecular Virology at Heidelberg University.

“I think you have to differentiate here whether you are fully immunized – and by that I mean both vaccinations – or whether you have not yet been vaccinated or have only been vaccinated once. With a complete immunization, more vacation is certainly possible than with a missing or partial immunization, even if you can create a certain compensation through testing. Basically, the holiday destination should also be chosen carefully this summer. One should consider the incidence, the vaccination rate and the presence of worrying variants – such as the delta variant – in the destination area. We have to use the summer months to avoid a fourth wave in autumn / winter. The vaccination must be given priority here, and it must be complete. The latest results show that the second vaccination is very important, especially with regard to protection against the SARS-CoV-2 variants. In addition, we must minimize the entry of infections, especially with SARS-CoV-2 variants, as far as possible for those returning from abroad. ”

Kai Nagel, mobility researcher

To person Prof. Dr. Kai Nagel is a physicist and head of the Department of Traffic System Planning and Traffic Telematics at the Technical University of Berlin. With the help of a simulation model – which also uses real cellular data – he is investigating how the coronavirus spreads in schools, at work and when traveling.

“Our simulations show that, due to the rapid progress of vaccination and the summer, we are currently in a situation in which we have a certain amount of leeway for relaxation . the proportion of dangerous mutations is not significantly higher than in Germany. The same principles apply when traveling as here. First: Wherever possible, carry out activities (e.g. visits to restaurants) outside. Second: Wear masks indoors. And third: Avoid contexts with a high density of people. However, our simulations also show that an autumn wave is likely if the vaccination protection decreases due to a mutation. For this reason, tourist trips to regions with dangerous mutations should be avoided at all costs, and if they do take place, be bound to a quarantine (also for vaccinated / convalescent) after return. It cannot be assumed that this will completely prevent the entry of these mutations, but it can at least be slowed down. ”

Gérard Krause, epidemiologist

To person Prof. Dr. Gérard Krause is one of the leading epidemiologists in Germany. Among other things, he heads the Epidemiology Department at the Helmholtz Center for Infection Research in Braunschweig.

“How the epidemiological situation of the pandemic will develop in the second half of the year does not depend solely on how we organize the vacation time. What will also be decisive here will be the extent to which the priority target groups can be fully vaccinated and how well the vaccination against newly emerging variants of the virus and how the autumnal environmental conditions favor the spread of the virus again. Also important is how successfully the public health service will be able to contain local outbreaks that occur. To the extent that social restrictions on mobility and contacts no longer apply, the importance of case-related contact person management increases. To make matters worse, the health authorities may not be able to fall back on extensive staffing as they were recently. Well-focused and optimized processes are required here. ”

Clemens Wendtner, chief physician

To person Prof. Dr. Clemens Wendtner is the head physician for infectious diseases at Munich Clinic Schwabing. At the beginning of the pandemic, Germany’s first corona patients were in his clinic.

“Enjoy with common sense – that should be our motto for the summer. After months of restrictions, the longing for sun and distance is understandably great and the development of incidence allows us more freedom again. That is good and right, as long as we have the security with us Last year the number of cases increased after the holidays, in autumn we mainly looked after returning travelers at our wards. We have to learn from this and, particularly with regard to the mutations, continue to consistently link safety measures with the relaxation. And: We have to keep our vision through the sun’s rays, constantly advance the vaccinations in the summer, keep the vaccination speed high. The higher the vaccination protection in autumn, the flatter a possible fourth wave. Then we have a good chance that the months of restrictions will finally be a thing of the past. ” The Corona variants and their names The World Health Organization (WHO) is now using neutral names for the variants of the coronavirus. They are no longer to be named after the countries in which they were first discovered. With this, the WHO wants to prevent discrimination and stigmatization.
alpha The name of the variant that first appeared in Great Britain is B.1.1.7.
beta is the name for the variant B.1.351 discovered in South Africa.
gamma stands for variant P.1, which has been proven in Brazil.
delta refers to variant B.1.617.2, which was initially found in India.

Corona vaccine CVnCoV Bad Intermediate result for CureVac

As of: 06/17/2021 6:42 a.m.

Setback for CureVac: The corona vaccine CVnCoV only showed an effectiveness of 47 percent in the second interim analysis, said the Tübingen-based company. The study is to be continued. CureVac’s corona vaccine candidate CVnCoV missed the statistical targets in a second interim analysis. The Tübingen-based company announced this in a mandatory notification. There it says: “In a previously unprecedented environment with at least 13 variants within the subset of study participants examined in this interim analysis, CVnCoV achieved a preliminary effectiveness of 47 percent against COVID-19 disease of any severity and thus did not meet the specified statistical success criteria.” Initial analyzes have shown that the effectiveness depends on the age group examined and the virus strains, the company continues. The vaccine candidate is in the final stage of clinical development. CEO Franz-Werner Haas announced that one had hoped for stronger results in the interim analysis. But continue the current study until the final analysis.

Actually soon approval is planned

Until the beginning of June it had been said that the company expected – depending on the clinical trial data – the approval of its vaccine candidate in the EU at least for the second quarter. But shortly afterwards it became known that the proceedings would be further delayed.

CureVac, which works with Bayer, had long been considered one of the hopes in the competitive race for approval of the first corona vaccines. But while vaccines have been administered by numerous competitors worldwide for months, the Tübingen-based company is still collecting data – and recently had repeatedly put off shareholders and observers.

Manufacturers deliver less Vaccination campaign could stall

Status: 16.06.2021 2:47 p.m. In Germany there will be fewer BioNTech cans available next month. Johnson & Johnson is also delivering less than planned. The German vaccination campaign could suffer a setback as a result. The vaccine manufacturer BioNTech will deliver significantly less vaccine to Germany in July than in June. Instead of 5.7 million cans for the last week of June, only 3.2 million cans are planned for the first week of July (KW 27). But there could be no question of a surprising cut, said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health. Rather, BioNTech preferred deliveries in June that were actually intended for later. It was always clear that the delivery volume of the Mainz manufacturer in the third quarter would be around 40.2 million vaccination doses lower than the around 50 million in the second quarter. So far there has only been a clear delivery promise for the first week of July with 3.235 million cans. After that, around 3.3 million doses per week can be expected. That was also communicated to the federal states. SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach therefore warns of a setback for the vaccination campaign: “If the BioNTech deliveries fall so sharply, it will be difficult to demonstrate herd immunity before mid-September,” he told the “Spiegel”. At the same time, it is shown that the delta variant is highly infectious and sometimes causes severe disease. “That’s scary,” said Lauterbach.

06/02/2021

6.5 million fewer doses from Johnson & Johnson

The US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) will also deliver significantly fewer vaccine doses than planned. The European Commission expects that J&J will not be able to meet its delivery targets to the EU for the second quarter. The reason for this is a decision by the European Medicines Agency (EMA), according to which 17 million doses of the vaccine cannot be used in the EU for safety reasons after cases of contamination have occurred in a US plant. The group will therefore probably not reach its delivery target of 55 million cans by the end of June, says a commission spokesman. So far, only around twelve million cans have been delivered. The Federal Ministry of Health estimates that J&J will be able to deliver around 6.5 million fewer doses to Germany than planned by the end of June because of the breakdown. “That is unfortunate, because every vaccine counts,” said a spokeswoman. The ministry expects the missing quantity to be replenished in July.

June 16, 2021

Waiting for Sputnik and Curevac

The Germans will probably have to wait even longer for the Russian vaccine Sputnik V, because, according to government circles, approval will be postponed “probably to September, maybe even to the end of the year”. The reason is that the Russian manufacturer has not yet submitted the necessary clinical trial data to the European Medicines Agency (EMA), the news agency Reuters learned from government circles. The clinical dossier was supposed to be available by June 10th. The Russian state fund RDIF, which sells Sputnik V, described the information as incorrect. All the necessary data on the clinical studies have been submitted and received positive comments. Initially, no comments were received from the EMA. The vaccine from Curevac is also not yet available. The vaccine from the Tübingen company, once praised as a bearer of hope, is still not approved. The Federal Ministry of Health has therefore canceled the delivery of 1.4 million vaccine doses originally planned for the current second quarter. According to health expert Lauterbach, the delay in approval could indicate that the effectiveness of the Curevac vaccine is not looking good.

06/07/2021

Moderna delivers a little more

Meanwhile, there are increasing complaints about the shortage of vaccines – from company doctors, general practitioners and some vaccination centers. The calls from some prime ministers for more vaccine also persist – while millions of Germans are still waiting for an initial vaccination. There is positive news from Moderna: The US manufacturer will increase its delivery volume compared to June, from 622,000 to 733,000 cans per week. In addition, Schleswig-Holstein is giving part of the AstraZeneca vaccine provided by Denmark to Hamburg. Thanks to the delivery, at least 8,000 new appointments can be made in the vaccination center in the megacity since today. The neighboring state does not manage to use the cans from Danish stock in time before the expiry date at the end of June.

background June 15, 2021

China’s anti-sanctions law Another setback for relationships

Status: 16.06.2021 10:30 a.m.

With the anti-sanctions law, China has created an instrument against foreign companies. Anyone who adheres to EU or US penalties against Beijing faces retribution. The industry is unsettled. From Steffen Wurzel, ARD studio Shanghai Many foreign business representatives see the new anti-sanctions law as a further setback for the relationship between Europe and China. As usual, the European Chamber of Commerce, the largest lobbying association of foreign companies in the People’s Republic, spoke up. The law continues to politicize dealings with China, so the criticism. “Basically, it ranges from uncertainty to shock,” said Chamber President Jörg Wuttke, describing the reactions of the member companies.

“Sovereignty inviolable”

With the new anti-sanctions law, the communist leadership in Beijing can punish foreign companies in the future; For example, if these sanctions follow, for example, the EU or the USA, which are directed against human rights violations in China. This could affect the textile industry, for example: If the EU should decide to sanction cotton companies from the Xinjiang region because there are strong indications of forced labor there, then China’s leadership could say the other way around to foreign textile and sporting goods manufacturers: You are only allowed to continue in China Do business if you specifically use Xinjiang cotton.

07/30/2020

“With this law, China shows that the sovereignty, the dignity, the core interests and the development interests of the People’s Republic are inviolable”, the constitutional lawyer Li Qingming of the State Chinese Academy for Social Studies defended the measure on the television channel CCTV. The state defends all of this. “We are resolutely opposed to the hegemonic striving and power politics of the West.”

Legal security for the government

Foreign observers in China criticized the fact that the law leaves much in the dark. The whole thing is “nebulous,” said a European diplomat ARD . It is clear, however, that the anti-sanctions law will not change much in the matter. Because the People’s Republic is not a constitutional state, and even without a legal basis, the communist leadership has repeatedly punished foreign companies and even entire states in the past. With the new law, however, the government can now deal with uncomfortable foreign actors in a supposedly legally secure manner.

March 22, 2021

“Text kept very vague”

The President of the European Chamber of Commerce, Wuttke, called the law a new “toolkit” for the government. “You can worry when you see the text. The text is – typically Chinese – very vague. So you could interpret everything into it,” he said. The draft law, which the members only saw as a finished law, includes very large circles. Even family members and subcontractors could be punished.

02.12.2020

The passing of the anti-sanctions law has created a lot of uncertainty among foreign companies in China. But there are also other voices. The head of a German middle class center in Kunshan near Shanghai said the ARD : Many German companies with which he has to do take note of such news calmly. According to the motto: The decisions of the state leadership in Beijing cannot be changed anyway.