Priesemann has been calculating scenarios of how the spread of the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus accelerates or weakens under different conditions ever since the outbreak of the corona pandemic. During the first wave of SARS-CoV-2, Germany was one among many countries introducing rules for social distancing in order to slow down the spreading of the virus. In comparison to other countries in Europe, the death rates were relatively low in Germany. According to an article published in Science, the timing and coordination of the various measurements were also based on Priesemann's calculations on the quantification of the virus. The code on which the related calculations have been based is freely available and adaptable to various countries or regional scenarios. In addition to looking at the basic reproduction number (R), Priesemann observed that besides the risks associated with the R-value rising above 1, a further tipping point may be reached when the number of infections is rising so fast that the health authorities fail to identify infected persons, tested as positive fast enough to test (and if necessary isolate) contact persons. Priesemann developed a containment strategy that employed "Social Bubbles". An article on this approach was published in The Lancet and ended up finding its way into several statements on how to contain Covid in Europe. Priesemann is one of the scientists supporting various public statements issued by the German National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina.