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‚Fast Evidence‘ in Zeiten post-normaler Wissenschaftskommunikation – die Berliner Viruslaststudie

  • Pascal Berger and David Kaldewey
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Abstract

‚Fast Evidence‘ in Times of Post-normal Science Communication: The Berlin Viral Load Study. The speed and timing of scientific knowledge production played an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic, not least with regard to the key political issue of imposing or easing ‚lockdowns‘. Against this background, we analyse an episode from the early phase of the pandemic: the debates around the viral-load study by the renowned virologist Christian Drosten and his team. A few days before political deliberations on the further course of the closure of schools and daycare centres, a preprint stated that children have a similar viral load to adults and could therefore be just as contagious. Furthermore, based on these results a warning was issued against re-opening too quickly. We see the study as an event of post-normal science communication, where the evidence obtained under time pressure is subjected to an „extended peer review“ by science journalists and committed laypeople.

Abstract

‚Fast Evidence‘ in Times of Post-normal Science Communication: The Berlin Viral Load Study. The speed and timing of scientific knowledge production played an important role in the COVID-19 pandemic, not least with regard to the key political issue of imposing or easing ‚lockdowns‘. Against this background, we analyse an episode from the early phase of the pandemic: the debates around the viral-load study by the renowned virologist Christian Drosten and his team. A few days before political deliberations on the further course of the closure of schools and daycare centres, a preprint stated that children have a similar viral load to adults and could therefore be just as contagious. Furthermore, based on these results a warning was issued against re-opening too quickly. We see the study as an event of post-normal science communication, where the evidence obtained under time pressure is subjected to an „extended peer review“ by science journalists and committed laypeople.

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