Matthias Schrappe, Hedwig François-Kettner, Matthias Gruhl, Dieter Hart, Franz Knieps, Holger Pfaff, Klaus Püschel, Gerd Glaeske: Thesenpapier 3.0. Die Pandemie durch SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 – eine erste Bilanz – Strategie: Stabile Kontrolle des Infektionsgeschehens. Prävention: Risikosituationen erkennen. Bürgerrechte: Rückkehr zur Normalität (Thesis paper 3.0. The pandemic caused by SARS-CoV-2/Covid-19 – an initial assessment – Strategy: Stable control of the infection process. Prevention: Identifying risk situations. Civil rights: Return to normality), Köln, Berlin, Bremen, Hamburg, 28. Juni 2020.
The thesis paper 3.0 builds on the previous papers, updates the epidemiological analysis and focuses on the “third way” of specific prevention, the legal analysis and the problem of the corona tracing app.
The most important messages at a glance:
- Differentiate sporadic and epidemic patterns: In epidemiological analysis, the sporadic occurrence must currently be clearly distinguished from current outbreaks (in critical living or working situations); both must be reported and addressed separately.
- Dysfunctional dramatization: The reporting system of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) or the German government urgently needs to be updated. A proposal presented here includes the differentiated presentation of sporadic and epidemic cases and the report of care-relevant disease states (e.g. asymptomatic infected persons, need for inpatient treatment).
- Stable control of infection: Eradication of the epidemic is not achievable, but stable control of sporadic cases, and especially of outbreaks (which cannot be predicted or prevented), is possible.
- Situation is controllable: With a prepared and well-equipped health care system, the current situation is controllable. Therefore, the discussion about lifting the pandemic status and restricting basic rights should be opened (maintaining proportionality).
- Balanced Infection Control Score: In order to assess the effectiveness of prevention measures, a multidimensional matrix is needed that includes not only infection-epidemiological indicators, but also those from the fields of economics, basic rights and knowledge/training.
- The “third way”: In addition to general and follow-up measures, successful prevention includes above all target group-oriented, specific measures that ex ante primarily seek to prevent the occurrence of risk situations for the development of herds. The public health service must be expanded.
- Clinical research promotes rational handling: the processing of clinical and nursing issues concerning Covid-19 are a central element of the project of a rational handling of the epidemic by society and the population.
- The dignity of the human being: Especially in the case of long-term care, disabilities or in process of dying all possible efforts must be made, to prevent situations and measures that restrict human dignity. Legally, general restrictions appear to be particularly problematic when specific, individual solutions are possible and proportionality is called into question by the general improvement of the epidemiological situation.
- Corona-Tracing-App raises worrying questions: Anonymity, location determination, voluntariness, behavior modification, effectiveness and efficiency – on all these aspects (and more) considerable doubts are warranted.