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Lothar Wieler, RKI:
"The corona situation in Germany is still very serious. The number of infections is still increasing in practically all of Germany."
Ute Rexroth, RKI:
"The number of cases is still very, very high."
Lothar Wieler, RKI:
"We have to be prepared for the fact that the situation will worsen in the next few weeks. Some clinics could reach their limits."
Warnings from the RKI, almost two weeks after the start of the second shutdown.
Does that mean the measures aren't working?
No, the development was expected and announced.
Katherine Rydlink, DER SPIEGEL:
"Yes, it's not at all surprising that the numbers are now continuing to rise, because actually you can only notice a change in the number of cases after about two weeks and they are not over yet."
This is because the incubation period lasts up to 14 days and the reporting of an infection is also delayed - a test must first be carried out and the result transmitted to the health department.
All of this has been the case for months.
But what is problematic is that the exposure is already increasing in hospitals.
3000 Covid patients are currently registered in intensive care units.
This value has never been so high.
Lothar Wieler, RKI:
"Feedback from intensive care medicine confirms that regular operations in some companies have to be restricted in order to free staff for the intensive care units."
All of this is still feasible for the hospitals.
But because the number of new infections is still so high, one thing is clear: As far as patients with severe courses are concerned, the situation will almost certainly worsen in the coming weeks.
Katherine Rydlink, DER SPIEGEL:
"22,000 or around 20,000 also in the last few days. If you now imagine that a lot of them will have to go to the intensive care unit in about ten days, then you can't quite see it anymore looking as good as it is right now. And the problem is also that Covid patients occupy an intensive care bed for a very long time. So they stay in the intensive care unit for up to 18 days. That means, if a Covid patient comes to the intensive care unit, then he occupied this bed for almost three weeks. And when new patients come, there may be no more beds. "
This development - this should already be a certainty - will inevitably lead to more people dying from Covid-19 again.
Katherine Rydlink, DER SPIEGEL:
"The number of deaths will also rise. That is quite certain. They have already risen and they always behave parallel to the number of cases, so to speak. That means, when the number of cases increases, they will automatically also The number of deaths is rising. How much remains to be seen. It is very difficult to make a statement about it now. "
The question is: what measures will politicians use to try to contain the pandemic further?
The value of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants is already a guideline for restrictions in public life.
The government now wants to have this value anchored in law, a draft of the law has already been heard in the Bundestag.
But leading scientists warn against focusing on this value alone.
Katherine Rydlink, DER SPIEGEL:
"You have to look at other factors as well, for example the age distribution in the population or in which areas there are outbreaks, because it makes a difference whether they are in old people's homes or in schools For example. And many scientists argue in favor of not just concentrating on this one value. That is just one of many. But actually there should be several values that should be included if you want to tighten the measures. "
However, the authorities have to wait and see what the lockdown light has brought so far.
And the coming week will provide information about this.