Timo Lenzen / DER SPIEGEL
Dear readers,
You are probably familiar with the saying "Practice makes perfect".
His personification is our health minister Jens Spahn (CDU), who has long confidently disguised his failures that have occurred regularly in the pandemic.
But he delivered his, well, masterpiece in this discipline with the so-called vaccination campaign week: he quickly turned its crashing failure into success.
You remember: Under the motto #HierWirdGeimpft, urgently needed momentum should be given to the lame German vaccination campaign in good time before autumn and in the middle of the fourth wave.
But even the initiation of the action by the minister was chaotic, and there were hardly any real, new offers (read more about the background to the action week here).
The result was accordingly disastrous: the particularly important number of first vaccinations remained at a low level.
So far, the RKI has reported almost 510,000 cans for the campaign week - compared to almost 518,000 cans in the week before.
Spahn himself rejoiced at the stagnating figures: "Not seeing any further decline is a success," the minister told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Given the situation, it is hardly surprising that other measures are now being considered - or decided immediately.
The head of the R + V health insurance company, Norbert Rollinger, speculated about more expensive tariffs for people who do not want to be vaccinated.
It has already been decided that unvaccinated workers who have to be quarantined will no longer receive any money for the loss of work.
Doctors and municipalities praise the move, trade unions and social associations oppose it.
That comes, there is little to argue about, the compulsory vaccination through the back door already pretty close.
Let's see whether Spahn names the further steps necessary to increase the vaccination rate - or glosses over them further.
He won't run out of opportunities to stay in shape in this regard anytime soon.
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It becomes uncomfortable for the unvaccinated
Private health insurance: is there a corona surcharge for unvaccinated people?
An advance from the insurance industry is causing a stir: Unvaccinated people may soon pay extra in private health insurance.
There is great anger about the proposal - even within the industry.
Corona pandemic: R + V boss proposes different tariffs for vaccinated and unvaccinated people
Should insured persons without a corona vaccination pay higher premiums in the future?
R + V boss Norbert Rollinger is for it.
Many people who refused to vaccinate showed “socially harmful behavior”.
Corona pandemic: Health ministers decide to end the quarantine compensation for unvaccinated people Unvaccinated people
who have to be quarantined will not receive any financial support from the state from November 1st.
Health ministers from the federal and state governments have agreed on this.
Loss of earnings in corona quarantine: It will be expensive for unvaccinated people
The state is increasing the pressure: Unvaccinated people who have to be in quarantine will no longer receive any money for lost work.
Critics fear that the vaccination rates cannot be increased in this way.
When is the end?
Discussion about the end of the corona measures: Why a "Freedom Day" is not a good idea
The head of
the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians
, Andreas Gassen, calls for the end of all corona conditions by October 30th and cites Great Britain as an example.
But the comparison is misleading.
Fight against coronavirus: Spahn expects the pandemic to end in spring
Germany should have achieved herd immunity in spring - Jens Spahn assumes.
According to the Minister of Health, the current decline in the number of cases is only a breather.
Covid-19 in worldwide numbers
Confirmed Cases: 230,663,767
Deaths: 4,730,159
Germany: 4,181,393 confirmed patients, 93,303 deaths
Sources: CSSE / Johns Hopkins University, as of September 24, 2021, 11:21 am;
Robert Koch Institute, as of September 24, 2021, 3.15 a.m.
Research news
Study at rock concert in Hanover:
sniffing
dogs sniff out corona in sweat
samples Can dogs recognize a corona infection in a person based on their sweat?
A first test at a concert gave positive results.
Now the sniffer dogs are supposed to sniff at other music events.
Company data: Second Johnson dose significantly improves vaccination protection
The corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson only needs to be injected once for effective protection.
Now corporate data shows that a booster vaccination could improve the effect months later.
What else was important
Corona pandemic: USA lifts entry ban for vaccinated Europeans
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, most Europeans have not been allowed to visit the USA.
Now the US government wants to allow people who have been vaccinated to re-enter - but not immediately.
Checklist for the vacation:
What
do you have to consider if you are booking a trip now.
Cancellation possible, quarantine required, PCR test appointment booked?
The corona crisis has made vacation planning more complicated than ever.
A to-do list for booking an autumn trip.
Corona crisis: Lockdown hit the
self-employed most severely According to a new study, the economic consequences of the corona pandemic have hit the self-employed particularly hard.
Unlike most employees, they sometimes suffered considerable income losses.
200 million from the federal government: states do not call up money for mobile air filters
Mobile air purifiers are supposed to protect against corona viruses in schools and daycare centers.
The federal government has made money available for this.
However, according to a report, the financial aid has not yet been used.
Biden's virtual corona summit: USA wants to double vaccine donations to poorer countries
The USA wants to give poorer countries an additional 500 million doses of vaccine to combat the pandemic.
President Biden will announce this step at the virtual corona summit, according to the US government.
Have a nice weekend
Yours Michail Hengstenberg
