Filzmaier & Thalhammer – Let’s talk about Corona, Professor!

Peter Filzmaier: You know why I asked you for an interview now, even though somehow no one wants to talk about the pandemic anymore?
Florian Thalhammer: No, I do not know that.

Last year, many politicians pretended that Corona was over. However, you criticized the irresponsible partying. And in the fall, the Grim Reaper would come. Unfortunately no one has listened to you. The chancellor’s party ÖVP even falsely advertised with Sebastian Kurz’s photo that we had mastered the pandemic. What developments do you predict this year?
In the fall, the virus has not yet disappeared and there will be no lockdown for financial reasons. Everything is possible in between. One thing is of course certain and is already on the horizon: a new variant or sub-variant of the coronavirus will prevail.

That sounds suspiciously like a repeat of fall 2021.
There are serious differences. We have more and more different vaccine options. We can offer sick people different therapies. We have learned, at least in theory, how to deal with different scenarios of the number and severity of infections.

From June 1, the Ministry of Health will almost no longer oblige the wearing of FFP2 masks, in Vienna this already contradicts public transport. Who’s right?
This contrast is typically Austrian. I suggested to the ministry to go back to medical mouth and nose protection when the number of infections is low. Why? The discipline of properly wearing FFP2 masks is manageable. At 35 degrees that becomes an unnecessary brutality. The infections will mainly come from the private environment and there is a good chance that the hospital burden will remain limited. Uniform and not different rules should therefore apply to the population, adapted to the situation.

When I ask my next question, I will follow your answer closely. What is a sensible way for each of us to deal with the virus in the coming weeks and months?
First, as a rule, get vaccinated to avoid getting seriously ill. Second, wear a mask in crowded areas, especially indoors. Third, get tested immediately if you have typical symptoms. Fourth, take advantage of disease therapy offers. Corona medicines are too often not used or are used too late.

I want your word in the ears of as many readers as possible. We have yet to speak critically about science communication. According to a study from my universities in Krems and Graz, almost as many people get their information on health topics from Doctor Google as they do from doctors. Did you know?
No, but who is better?

The doctors, of course, but I think reputable doctors should spend a lot more time on online communication so as not to leave the field there to questionable agitators or even insane.
Yes I agree with you. That is why I have considerably expanded the range of internet seminars for my colleagues during the pandemic. Here I am really proud of the great success of my training formats with up to 15,000 participating colleagues. I also created an @derinfektiologe account on Instagram. Unfortunately this is more of a hobby.

While my Instagram account @peterfilzmaier is really just a hobby, please don’t stop there!
Why not?

Because that way you could have a large reach outside our university world and departments with your expertise about infections and viruses. In their communication about vaccinations and corona measures, I blame politicians for only reaching target groups that are already convinced. Here we as scientists should not make the same mistake.
The communication expert is you, not me. We should probably use both of our knowledge to be more successful.

That’s what we’ve been trying to do for two years in our “Krone” series (laughs) Incidentally, in my field of social sciences, in the interest of transparency and credibility, there are also discussions about publishing volumes of tables or datasets from studies commissioned by politicians and paid with tax money on the internet for free on the internet. Can you imagine that – without confidential patient data, of course – in medicine?
This would be desirable, but will only work to a limited extent in practice. On the one hand, because there is a fear of data misuse. On the other hand, there are large therapy studies that lead to drug approval, but are not funded by the government. If this had been the case, we would all have known sooner that new symptoms can occur with a corona drug after regular therapy has ended.

Finally, a very different question: will monkeypox be the next pandemic?
no Close contact is required for transmission and the sick are marked with blisters.