Germany is making small strides in the corona crisis.
Despite cautious optimism, the situation remains tense, as Angela Merkel emphasizes.
All developments in the news ticker.
On Thursday (January 21), the Robert Koch Institute reported more than 20,000 new infections with the coronavirus *.
Despite this high level, there is reason for hope when it comes to infection.
Virus mutations * and the precarious situation among the elderly still cause concern.
This news ticker on the corona situation in Germany is continuously updated.
Update from January 21, 8:41 p.m
.: The number of
reproductions
in Germany has risen slightly again.
As can be seen from the current management report of the Robert Koch Institute on Thursday evening, the four-day R 0.84 (previous day: 0.79) and the seven-day R 0.93 (previous day: 0.87).
However, since the number of
reproductions
is still below 1, the infection rate levels off further.
In the first rudiments, this is also noticeable in the older population group.
After the RKI reported a
seven-day incidence
of 268 cases per 100,000 inhabitants
for the population 80+ on Wednesday
(
see first report
), there are now 259.
Despite this slight tendency towards improvement, the
RKI
warns
not to underestimate
the risk of the
coronavirus
.
Because "a high number of transmissions in the population in Germany can still be observed".
The institute therefore rates “the overall health risk in Germany as very high”.
Corona in Germany: Numbers give quiet hope - but the incidence among old people remains drastic
First report from January 21
: Berlin - Politicians
recently extended
the measures to contain the
corona
virus again.
Germany will be in
lockdown
*
until at least mid-February
.
Virus mutations such as those from
Great Britain
are of particular concern
, which, according to initial scientific findings, do not necessarily lead to worse disease courses, but are probably more contagious *.
Corona in Germany: concern about virus mutation - situation in Ireland and Portugal precarious
Therefore, keeping the number of cases low is currently the top priority for the Federal Government, as Chancellor
Angela Merkel
* emphasized again on Thursday morning (January 21).
If the numbers are low, then the virus “doesn't think so much” about the
mutation
, said the CDU politician *.
The simple calculation: the more spread the virus is, the more likely it is for
mutations
.
In this context, the Chancellor repeatedly refers to the threatening situation in
Ireland
, where the
virus mutation
is spreading ever further and 1,191 cases per 100,000 inhabitants have been registered in the last 14 days **.
The situation is currently even more tense in
Portugal
(14-day incidence of 1320), where 20 percent of new infections are due to a
mutation
.
The corona cases in the country with ten million inhabitants recently reached a record high of 14,600.
The unstable health system threatens to collapse.
+
Employees of the Curry Cabral Hospital in Lisbon transport a Covid-19 patient on a stretcher.
As a result of the strongly increasing corona numbers, the situation in hospitals is becoming increasingly tense.
© Pedro Fiuza / XinHua / dpa
Ireland
and
Portugal
serve as warning examples for the Federal Republic.
That is why the Chancellor never tires of pointing out the virus mutation.
However, there is currently hope in Germany.
Corona in Germany: the number of infections remains high - but the decline is clearly evident
In terms of the number of infections, there have recently been positive developments.
With
20,398 new infections reported
by the
Robert Koch Institute
*, the situation is still precarious, but there are signs of a clear decline.
Compared to the previous week, almost 19 percent fewer cases were reported, the
seven-day incidence has
decreased for the tenth day in a row and at 119.0 it has reached its lowest level since November 1.
So Germany is making progress on the way out of the crisis.
This can also be seen when looking at the respective federal states.
With
Thuringia
and
Brandenburg
only two federal states rank above the 200 mark.
The situation is currently most relaxed in
Hamburg
,
Bremen
,
Schleswig-Holstein
and
Lower Saxony
.
In
Baden-Württemberg
,
too
, the incidence is back in double digits after weeks.
state |
7-day incidence according to RKI (as of January 21, 12 a.m.) |
|---|---|
Thuringia |
225 cases per 100,000 population |
Brandenburg |
203 |
Saxony-Anhalt |
195 |
Saxony |
186 |
Berlin |
120 |
Bavaria |
120 |
Hesse |
120 |
Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania |
113 |
North Rhine-Westphalia |
111 |
Saarland |
109 |
Rhineland-Palatinate |
101 |
Baden-Württemberg |
99 |
Lower Saxony |
90 |
Schleswig-Holstein |
89 |
Bremen |
86 |
Hamburg |
83 |
Corona in Germany: R value well below 1 - "that shows that it is worth the effort"
The development of the
reproductive number also
gives reason for hope
. * If the so-called R value is below 1 for a long time, the infection rate flattens out.
The
four-day R
is currently
0.79 and the 7-day R is 0.87.
According to
Merkel
, the
decline in the number of infections shows
“that the tough cuts that people in Germany have had to take for weeks are beginning to pay off.
And it basically shows that the effort is worth it. "
Despite all the reasons for cautious optimism, the Chancellor warned on Thursday against
underestimating
the
corona crisis
.
If you do not act now, there is a risk of a third, possibly even more violent pandemic wave.
But: "We can still prevent that," said
Merkel
: "There is still some time to prevent the danger that lies in this mutated virus."
+
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) speaks at a press conference on the current situation in the house of the Federal Press Conference.
© Michael Kappeler / dpa
Corona in Germany: incidence of 268 - threatening situation in the elderly
So while the current numbers are definitely positive, even if they are of course only a snapshot, other developments are of concern.
The virus is currently rampant, especially among the older population belonging to the risk group.
On Wednesday evening, the
RKI
reported
an
incidence
of 95 cases per 100,000 inhabitants
for people between 60 and 79 years,
i.e.
less than the German average.
For the population group 80+, however, the situation looks much more dramatic.
The incidence here is currently at a high 268. This number is also due to the increase in cases in old people's and nursing homes, as stated in the RKI situation report on Wednesday.
Merkel
knows that too, and she
can understand the population's frustration with the restrictions, because “it's a difficult time”.
As before, there is nothing to gloss over.
(as) * Merkur.de is part of the Ippen-Digital network
** Source: World Health Organization, as of January 20, 10 a.m .: The WHO gives the incidence over a period of two weeks, which is why there are sometimes significant differences with the local information, which is usually viewed within a week can. Germany ranks 26th in a European comparison. The full list can be found here.
List of rubric lists: © Michael Kappeler / dpa
