Yesterday I saw an interview on TV with a virologist from Essen, Prof. Dr. Ulf Dittmer.
In short, it was a little bit hopeful. He commented on some points:
Measured by the positive tests, mortality is significantly declining, at least in Germany. He mentions three assumptions, more tests in total, more younger patients, but also a third reason. At least in local clusters, it can be assumed that the virus is already diminishing in its dangerousness.
The professor said that in new generations, the virus will focus more on the nose, throat and pharynx, and thus become less dangerous.
Another point, he said he was working with an institute at a clinic in Wuhan. The reason is to do studies with people whose disease course is the oldest. It has been shown that although the antibodies are decreasing significantly, they are not disappearing but are being maintained at a significant level, which is a prerequisite for a vaccine to be effective. It is also probable that after a disease, the chances of only getting a weak course of the disease are higher if you are infected again.
But he also said that what he reported gives hope for in about two years' time! Not in weeks or months. And...that the prayed protection measure is indeed the conscientious wearing of masks because they reduce the viral load when breathing out. Likewise, we only have a chance of a mild course if we continue to be very careful with social contacts.
In summary, there is hope for improvement, but not overnight and not until until a vaccine is available in the meantime. Unfortunately, even a vaccine must be imagined to be statistically effective, and not necessarily as personally effective as a measles vaccine is. Wr do not know exactly about this point now but we should not become too euphoric.
In Germany it is also propagated that the elderly (i.e. me) should be vaccinated against flu, pneumocoge and whooping cough in autumn. This avoids additional stress if one should get Covid19.
One more word about a watched behaviour. When we returned from our holiday in Austria two weeks ago, we had ourselves tested against Corona in Bavaria free of charge. The fortunately negative result we had two days later on our mobile phone. There weren't very many drivers who had themselves tested at the special car park at the motorway...even if they were coming back from high risk areas like Kosovo or Croatia.
