German biologist raises alarm: We're not gonna get away with masks.

DW: And how long will it take for us to live on the pandemic of the coronary?

Christian Drosten: It's hard to make global prognosis. In Europe we have a different situation. Winter won't be easy. Next year we'll have vaccines. I think at the end of next year they can be supplied to certain parts of the population. We're not gonna get out of masks that easy. Because even when we start with vaccines most of the population will have to keep wearing masks. In countries like Germany, where there are few immunity infections, it won't be big. It is likely not to be observed in other European countries.

As for other regions it is difficult to say. In Africa, for example, it seems that the spread of the disease is not so bad. This may be related to the new population age structure. But it should be said that we're watching only urban centers, where many young people live. We don't know how the virus behaves when it spreads in rural areas. And we don't know what status the epidemic has there. There are reports that infection is on the decline. There is a potential decline in cities of epidemics, but there is also the possibility that it will begin now with great force.

What are the most disturbing regions for you?

Actually I'm very worried about India. India has great population density. The virus is spreading there almost without control. And South American territories. To Africa I just spoke of, the African continent is actually a small riddle. And in the northern hemisphere, winter is coming and there are regions, including Europe, where control over the virus is scarce. Some countries are going on a lot of corones in the cold winter season and confidence in medical facilities and health care system is low. There are also countries in Europe that must take strong measures very quickly.

Other countries see in Germany a kind of example in the treatment of pandemic. What are the Germans doing right?

It's a combination of many things. The first is certainly the decisive treatment made at the start of the first wave, predetermined by the Chancellor at the time. Meanwhile, co-operation between the countries has dropped. But the key has been that Germany reacted very quickly. Not as far as the calendar date is concerned, but as far as the relative moment of contact restrictions were set, sometimes called Lockdown.

The epidemic began with us later. The first cases of the corona turned into an epidemic in early February, not January. The first imported cases were kept under control and did not spread. That's probably why our treatment was efficient. After Lockdown, let's say after mid-May, there have been few cases in Germany and this situation has not changed. So far, despite seeing a slight increase in infections.

Now we're in the fall and we have the winter before. What do you think will happen in Germany?

As for the population structure and other parameters, differences among European countries are slim. So we should see from France, Great Britain and Spain. What happens there will also take place in Germany if we do not react quickly and in a way that is patient about the economy and with clear goals. It is a difficult task to find the right time in which we will have to change the measures taken so far.

As you said, we'll have to wear masks for a long time. When will we be allowed to embrace again?

This will be a very regional question. I wouldn't be surprised if next year different parts of the world were with protected populations. This means that they will have overcome the epidemic, which because of the age structure, has not been a serious epidemic. In Africa, for example, this may happen. In other parts of the world where the concept is to prevent the spread of the virus and to wait for the introduction of the vaccine, we can expect masks to be held by the end of 2021. It's impossible to make accurate predictions, but next year will be a year when we have to wear masks.

Prof. Dr. Christian Drosten is director of the Institute for Virology at the Charité Hospital in Berlin. In 2003 he was one of the inventors of the first SARS of the coronary virus. In 2020 it produced the first diagnostic analysis of SARS-CoV-2.