Letter from virologists in Germany on the politically ordered measures to combat the pandemic and the KBV's position paper

The board of directors of Society of Virology (GfV), the German members of the advisory board of the GfV and the signatories (heads of institutes and departments as well as comm. representatives of virological institutions in Germany) consider the measures currently ordered by politicians to reduce the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections to be necessary. The board of directors (GfV), the German advisory board members of the GfV and the signatories (heads of institutes and departments as well as comm. representatives of virological institutions in Germany) consider the measures currently ordered by politics to reduce the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections necessary and necessary in the overall view. The signatories are aware that these entail considerable restrictions and economically negative consequences and can therefore only be used temporarily, in accordance with the assessment by the World Health Organisation (WHO statement "COVID-19: taking stock and moving forward together[1]). However, the current situation in Germany is characterised by an exponential increase in the number of new SARS-CoV-2 infections, which is followed with a time lag by an increase in severe COVID-19 courses[2]:

September 03, 2020: 1,311 new infections and 223 COVID-19 patients in intensive care treatment
October 01, 2020: 2,503 new infections and 362 COVID-19 patients in intensive care treatment
October 30, 2020 (directly before the federal government's decision): 18,681 new infections and 1,839 COVID-19 patients in intensive care treatment
November 05, 2020: 19,990 new infections and 2,653 COVID-19 patients in intensive care treatment

Despite a multitude of appeals and statements from politicians, authorities, health offices and other institutions to the population to observe the AHA+L+A rule (distance/hygiene/everyday mask + regular ventilation + Corona warning app), the rapid increase in new SARS-CoV-2 infections could not be prevented. Therefore, there is currently no other option than partial lockdown to contain further spread through contact restrictions. This is important to keep the health care system in Germany efficient and thus to ensure that COVID-19 sufferers and all other patients continue to receive optimal health care (see also the statements and opinions of various professional associations such as the German Society of Nephrology, the Professional Association of German Anaesthetists, the German Society of Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, and the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine).

From our point of view, all those involved in the fight against the pandemic agree that the special protection of risk groups is a central concern. However, it should be borne in mind that about 30% of the European population has at least one known risk factor for a severe course of infection. This makes it clear that many at-risk persons do not live in institutions (for which special precautions have already been taken anyway), but in the middle of society. In our opinion, the only way to better protect these people is to reduce infections in the population as a whole.

In addition, it is essential to enable the health authorities to carry out contact tracing and break chains of infection by reducing the number of new infections. The goal of rapid contact tracing must not be abandoned at this stage. It goes without saying that this is not, and never has been, a stand-alone measure for pandemic control, but should be seen as complementary to the AHA+L+A recommendations.

The signatories agree that without vaccines we can currently only succeed in controlling the SARS-CoV-2 pandemic with effective contact reduction and consistent adherence to the AHA+L+A rule. We would like to refer once again to the GfV's "Statement on a scientifically based approach to the Covid-19 pandemic" of 19 October 2020, in which the facts are explained in more detail. The time to act is now, before a point is reached where any action is too late. The current restrictions can save many lives in Germany and prevent a further lockdown with even more damage to public health and the economy if they are implemented consistently.

We distance ourselves from the way in which various proposals for pandemic containment are put forward and also from some of the contents. This includes the presentation of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) in its statement, including the associated press conference of 28 October 2020, which gives the impression that it is the collective opinion of science and the medical profession. This is certainly not the case for the majority of virologists, both from a scientific and a medical point of view. Furthermore, the undersigned distance themselves from the suggestions made in the press conference and the KBV's position paper to reject lockdown-like measures and the restriction to autonomous implementation of the AHA+L+A rules. Containment solely through contact tracing has never been the strategy of pandemic control. It was always combined with the above-mentioned behavioural measures, but should always be an important part of containing the spread of the virus in the future. The special protection of risk groups was and is a central point of pandemic control, but must take into account that they also live in the middle of our society.

Read as PDF

The Board of Directors of the Society of Virology

Prof. Dr Ralf Bartenschlager, President of Society of Virology and Professor of Molecular Virology at the University of Heidelberg

Prof. Dr. med. Sandra Ciesek, Member of the Board of Society of Virology and Full Professor of Medical Virology at the Goethe University Frankfurt

Prof. Dr Ulf Dittmer, Member of the Board of Society of Virology and Full Professor of Virology at the University Hospital Essen

Prof. Dr. med. Thomas Stamminger, Member of the Board of Society of Virology and Professor of Virology at Ulm University Hospital

Prof. Dr. med. Klaus Überla, Member of the Board of Society of Virology and Professor of Virology at the University Hospital Erlangen of the Friedrich-Alexander University Erlangen-Nuremberg

Signatories in alphabetical order:

Prof. Dr. med. Marcus Altfeld, Heinrich Pette Institut, Leibniz Institut für Experimentelle Virologie, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Paul Becher, Ordinarius für Virologie an der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
Prof. Dr. Stephan Becker, Ordinarius für Virologie, Philipps-Universität Marburg
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Melanie Brinkmann, Beiratsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie, Technische Universität Braunschweig, Helmholtz Zentrum für Infektionsforschung
Prof. Dr. Alexander Dalpke, Direktor, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene,
Institut für Virologie, Med. Fakultät, Technische Universität Dresden
Prof. Dr. Thomas Dobner, Wissenschaftlicher Direktor, Heinrich-Pette-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. Lars Dölken, Ordinarius für Virologie an der Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg
Prof. Dr. med. Christian Drosten, Institut für Virologie, Charité-Universitätsmedizin Berlin
Prof. Dr. Anja Ehrhardt, Lehrstuhl für Virologie und Mikrobiologie Department für Humanmedizin, Fakultät für Gesundheit, Universität Witten/Herdecke
Prof. Dr. Oliver T. Fackler, Professor für Integrative Virologie am Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Prof. Dr. Gülsah Gabriel, Heinrich-Pette-Institut, Leibniz Institut für Experimentelle Virologie Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
Prof. Dr. Gisa Gerold, Beiratsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie und Professorin für Molekulare und Klinische Infektiologie an der Stiftung Tierärztliche Hochschule Hannover
Prof. Dr. Joachim Hauber, Leiter der Abteilung Antivirale Strategien, Heinrich-Pette-Institut, Leibniz-Institut für Experimentelle Virologie, Hamburg
Prof. Dr. med. Hartmut Hengel, ehem. Vorstand der Gesellschaft für Virologie, Institut für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Freiburg
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Thomas Iftner, Ordinarius für Virologie am Universitätsklinikum Tübingen der Eberhard-Karls Universität Tübingen
Prof. Dr. med. Oliver T. Keppler, Vorstand des Max von Pettenkofer-Instituts und Ordinarius für Virologie an der Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München
Prof. Dr. Frank Kirchhoff, Institut für Molekulare Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm
Prof. Dr. med. Florian Klein, Ordinarius für Virologie am Universitätsklinikum Köln
Prof. Dr. med. Hans-Georg Kräusslich, Ordinarius für Virologie, Universität Heidelberg
Prof. Dr. Dirk Lindemann, Lehrstuhl für Molekulare Virologie, Medizinische Fakultät Carl Gustav Carus, Technische Universität Dresden
Univ.-Prof. Dr. med. Bettina Löffler, Direktorin, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie, Universitätsklinikum Jena
Prof. Dr. Stephan Ludwig, Institut für Virologie (IVM), Westfaelische Wilhelms-Universität Münster
Prof. Dr. Jan Münch, Institut für Molekulare Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Ulm
Prof. Dr. Klaus Osterrieder, Beiratsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie, Department of Infectious Diseases and Public Health, Jockey Club College of Veterinary Medicine, City University of Hong Kong, Kowloon Tong, Kowloon, Hong Kong
PD Dr. med. habil. Corinna Pietsch, Leitung (komm.) Krankenversorgung, Institut für Medinzinische Mikrobiologie und Virologie, Universitätsklinikum Leipzig
Prof. Dr. Thomas Pietschmann, Beiratsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie und Direktor des Instituts für Experimentelle Virologie am Twincore, Zentrum für Experimentelle und Klinische Infektionsforschung Hannover
Prof. Dr. Stefan Pöhlmann, Leiter der Abteilung Infektionsbiologie, Deutsches Primatenzentrum GmbH, und Universitätsprofessor für Infektionsbiologie an der Georg-August-Universität Göttingen
Prof. Dr.med. Ulrike Protzer, Direktorin Institut für Virologie, Technische Universität München / Helmholtz Zentrum München
Univ.-Prof. Dr. Mario Schelhaas, Direktor des Instituts für zelluläre Virologie, Westfälische Wilhelms Universität Münster
Prof. Dr. Barbara Schmidt, Klinische Virologie und Infektionsimmunologie, Institut für Medizinische Mikrobiologie und Hygiene, Universität Regensburg
Prof. Dr. med. Thomas F. Schulz, Ordinarius für Medizinische Virologie an der Medizinischen Hochschule Hannover
Prof. Dr. med. Sigrun Smola, ehem. Vorstandsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie, Direktorin des Instituts für Virologie, Universitätsklinikum des Saarlandes
Prof. Dr. rer. nat. Beate Sodeik, Beiratsmitglied der Gesellschaft für Virologie, Institut für Virologie, Medizinische Hochschule Hannover, ehem. Vorstand der Gesellschaft für Virologie
Prof. Eike Steinmann, Abteilung für Molekulare und Medizinische Virologie Ruhr-Universität, Bochum
Prof. Dr. Norbert Tautz, Ordinarius für Virologie und Zellbiologie an der Universität zu Lübeck
Prof. Dr. med. Jörg Timm, Universitätsklinikum Düsseldorf, Heinrich-Heine-Universität, Institut für Virologie
Prof. Dr. Stephan Urban, Professor für Translationale Virologie am Universitätsklinikum Heidelberg
Prof. Dr. Friedemann Weber, Ordinarius für Virologie am Fachbereich Veterinärmedizin der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen
Prof. Dr. med. John Ziebuhr, Ordinarius für Medizinische Virologie an der Justus-Liebig-Universität Gießen

Sources

[1] https://www.euro.who.int/en/media-centre/sections/statements/2020/statem...

[2] As of 5 November 2020, i.e. directly before the Federal Government's decision; RKI situation report at the respective time mentioned.