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Corona in Germany: Vortex around FFP2 masks - RKI changes information on mouth and nose protection

2021-01-23T13:43:57.544Z


Corona in Germany: A statement on the homepage of the Robert Koch Institute about the use of FFP2 masks causes confusion. Are these not suitable in everyday life after all?


Corona in Germany: A statement on the homepage of the Robert Koch Institute about the use of FFP2 masks causes confusion.

Are these not suitable in everyday life after all?

  • On Saturday, the Robert Koch Institute reported more than 16,000 new infections with the coronavirus *.

    (Update from January 23, 7:08 a.m.)

  • A statement about the FFP2 masks, which was removed from the RKI homepage on Friday, causes confusion.

    (Update from January 23, 12.30 p.m.)

  • The mutated variant from Great Britain could be more deadly than the previous corona virus

    (update from January 22nd, 6.30 p.m.)

    .

  • This news ticker on the corona situation in Germany is continuously updated.

Update from January 23, 12.30 p.m.:

At the last Corona summit, the

mask requirement in Germany was tightened again

.

The more protective

FFP2 masks

(mandatory in Bavaria) or

surgical masks must be

worn on

buses and trains as well as when shopping

.

Everyday masks made of fabric are no longer enough.

But while the federal government explicitly advises wearing those FFP2 masks,

something else could be read on the homepage of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) until Friday afternoon

, according to

RBB24

:

In the 'Recommendations of the BAuA and the ad-hoc working group' Covid-19 'of the ABAS on the use of protective masks in connection with SARS-CoV-2', FFP2 masks are not recommended for private use.

Robert Koch Institute (RKI), rki.de

Does the RKI

advise against using FFP2 masks in everyday life

?

No.

As

reported by

RBB24

, the RKI referred to the Federal Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (BAuA) and did not make the statement itself.

But

when asked

, a press spokesman also confirmed to

RBB24

that the Federal Agency did not make this statement.

In order not to cause further confusion, the relevant passage has now been removed.

Instead, it should be noted that the

protective effect of the FFP2 masks is

only guaranteed "if they are

worn

continuously and tightly

(ie matching the shape of the face and finally on the skin)".

"When used by laypeople, self-protection beyond the effect of correctly worn mouth and nose protection is therefore

not necessarily given,

" says the RKI.

Corona in Germany: demo escalated - three police officers injured

Update from January 23, 12:05 p.m.:

During a

demonstration by opponents of the Corona measures

in Lauf an der Pegnitz (district of Nürnberger Land),

three police officers were injured

.

As colleagues of theirs announced on Saturday night, there had been scuffles between around 25 demonstrators and dozen police officers on Friday.

The trigger was reportedly the

lack of mouth and nose protection of a protester

.

Although she presented a certificate, the officials doubted this.

A little later, the situation escalated and there were scuffles and several arrests.

According to the police, one of the injured officers had to go to the

hospital

and

could no longer work

.

The police initially gave no information about possible injured demonstrators.

Corona in Germany: RKI numbers show lockdown effect

Update from January 23, 7:08 a.m

.: The German health authorities

reported

16,417 new infections

to

the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

within 24 hours.

In addition,

879 new deaths were recorded

within one day.

The

RKI

announced this

on Saturday morning.

Exactly one week ago, the RKI had recorded 18,678 new infections and 980 new deaths within 24 hours.



The number of new infections reported within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants (seven-day incidence) was 112.6 on Saturday morning, according to the RKI.

The previous high of 197.6 was reached on December 22nd.



The RKI has counted

2,122,679 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany

since the

beginning of the pandemic

(as of January 23, 00:00).

The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher as many infections are not detected.

The total number of people who died with or with a proven infection with

Sars-CoV-2

rose to 51,521.

The RKI stated the number of those who had recovered at around 1,795,400.



The nationwide seven-day R-value was 0.97 according to the RKI situation report from Friday evening (previous day: 0.93).

This means that 100 infected people infect 97 other people.

The value represents the occurrence of the infection 8 to 16 days ago.

If it is below 1 for a long time, the infection process subsides.

Corona in Germany: mutated virus variant apparently more deadly than the previous corona virus

Update from January 22nd, 6:30 p.m.:

The

variant of the coronavirus

first discovered in

Great Britain

may be more deadly than the previously prevalent one.

There are "some indications", said British Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

on Friday in a press conference in the government seat of Downing Street in London.

The high burden on the hospitals in the country is to a large extent due to the

new virus variant

, according to the conservative politician.

Boris Johnson: "Some evidence" that mutation is deadlier

Whether and how much more deadly the

new corona mutation

* is is still

very uncertain

, warned the government's scientific advisor Patrick Vallance.

If one assumes with the previous variant that ten out of 1,000 people will die at the age of 60, be it

around 13 or 14 deaths

for the

variant

.

That would correspond to a

30 percent higher probability of a fatal course

of Covid 19 disease.

The 

mutation

 had appeared in the southeastern county of Kent late last year and had spread at breakneck speed in London and parts of the country.

Corona in Germany: Steinmeier starts an emotional appeal - high excess mortality at Christmas

Update from January 22nd, 3:45 p.m.:

With a

central commemoration

after Easter in Berlin, Federal President

Frank-Walter Steinmeier

wants to

keep

the memory of the

dead of the corona pandemic

alive.

Together with the other constitutional organs, he wanted to "set a sign that we as a society mourn together, that we do not forget the dead and the suffering of the bereaved," said the Office of the Federal President on Friday.

In

Germany

,

more than 50,000 people have died

in connection with the

corona virus

since the pandemic began around a year

ago, as the RKI announced on Friday.

“It's not just a number, it's not just a statistical value that we take note of today and that will change again tomorrow,” said

Steinmeier

in an online discussion.

“There is a fate behind every number.

A person is lost who was close to our hearts. "

At the same time, the

Federal President called on

all citizens to a “sign of silent remembrance”: Until the planned act of

mourning

as many people as possible should take part in the “

#lichtfenster

” campaign, put a light in their window and also a picture of it with the hashtag in share on social media.

In

Bellevue Palace

, a light will be clearly visible in the central window above the portal.

“We put a light in the window.

A light of sorrow, a light of sympathy, a light of compassion, ”said

Steinmeier

in his appeal.

+

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier is sending out a sign of common remembrance of the Corona victims and calls for the #lichtfenster campaign.

© picture alliance / dpa / Federal Press Office |

Jesco Denzel

Corona in Germany: high excess mortality at Christmas

According to the Federal Statistical Office, almost a third more people died

in

Germany

at the end of last year

than the average in previous years.

According to preliminary results, there were at least

24,470 deaths

in the 52nd calendar

week

(December

21-27

, 2020)

.

That is

31 percent

, or 5832 cases,

more

than the average for the years 2016 to 2019, as the office averaged on Friday in Wiesbaden.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

, the number of people who died of or with a

corona infection was

5040 in the 52nd calendar week.

The development of the number of

deaths

in the

corona hotspot

Saxony

is particularly noticeable

.

“As in the previous week, the number of deaths there in the 52nd calendar week

more than doubled in

relation to the average for the four previous years for this week

,

” reported the statisticians.

After plus 111 percent in the previous week, there were

114 percent

or 1,228 more deaths

in the 52nd calendar week

.

In

Thuringia

, the number of deaths rose by 62 percent, in

Brandenburg

by 60 percent, in

Saxony-Anhalt

by 46 percent compared to the average for the years 2016 to 2019.

Corona in Germany: Haseloff sees the limit of possible measures will soon be reached

Update from January 22nd, 1:55 p.m.:

In the opinion of Saxony-Anhalt's Prime Minister

Reiner Haseloff

(CDU), the federal government will soon have reached the limits of its possibilities with the

corona measures

.

“There are a manageable number of instruments with which we

can fight

the

pandemic

.

And in principle we will soon have pulled out all the stops, ”he said in an interview with

Der Spiegel

.

Apart from a

total shutdown,

there weren't many measures that could still be decreed.

He

rejects a

shutdown of the economy

and

closing the borders

.

He

does not see

Germany's isolation

as a possible means.

“We live in an open Europe.

We cannot simply disconnect like New Zealand, for example, ”said

Haseloff

.

Corona in Germany: RKI boss Wieler names clear numbers in old people's homes - and speaks of unreported numbers

Update from January 22, 11:48 a.m.:

Federal

Minister of

Health

Jens Spahn

campaigned at the federal press

conference

for understanding for the extension of the

lockdown

.

The current figures are encouraging, but still at a high level.

"It's not over yet," he clarified.

He also warned against the spread of the

virus mutation

.

Spahn said there was hope from the

vaccination campaign

.

"We are at the height of the pandemic, and at the same time we have started the way out of the pandemic".

He

does not see the

zero covid strategy

as suitable for Germany.

The RKI President

Lothar Wieler

drew particular attention to the high

number of deaths

in Germany.

“That is a depressing number, for me almost unbelievable,” he said.

He sees the currently falling number of infections as positive.

“We can't let up.” Another problem is the many

outbreaks in old people's and nursing homes

.

About

900 cases

are known, "there is probably also an

unreported number

."

Virologist

Christian Drosten

warned against loosening the measures too quickly with regard to the

mutation

.

He explained his scenario of a possible 100,000 daily infections per day *.

DIVI President

Gernot Marx also

warned against premature easing.

There is currently a clear decline in the number of

intensive care

patients.

No “Christmas and New Year's Eve peak”

can be seen in

the intensive care units

Coronavirus: According to Spahn, “Zero Covid” cannot be used in Germany

Update from January 22nd, 11.11 a.m.:

The federal press conference is over.

A summary of the most important statements will be given shortly.

Update from January 22nd, 11:07 a.m.:

Spahn explains

the difference in

vaccination rates

between the

federal states

with the fact that some federal states have already vaccinated more hospital staff, others initially only vaccinated in nursing homes.

The vaccination in

hospitals

goes much faster.

"That will balance out," assures Spahn.

Update from January 22nd, 10:55 am:

Regarding the

"Zero Covid" strategy

, Spahn explains that he finds it difficult to compare with island states such as Australia and Taiwan.

That is a "completely different starting point",

Germany

is in the middle of a continent.

"That's why I don't see zero as a permanent target as something that can work in a country like Germany with our situation and situation."

The closer the incidence

gets to

zero

, the better.

“We have to get the incidences down,” said

Wieler

.

This only works through

contact reduction

and reliable

PCR tests

.

The "public health" measures can also

control

virus mutations

.

+

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn does not see a zero Covid strategy for Germany.

© picture alliance / dpa / dpa Pool |

Michael Kappeler

Update January 22, 10:47:

The

self-test

is only possible once there is an admission says

Spahn

.

It must be ensured that a layperson also gets a correct result.

Otherwise there is a risk of incorrect test results.

I would also like to have the

home test

available.

But it has to be good and reliable, ”explains Spahn.

Corona in Germany: Drosten and Marx warn against easing too early

Update January 22, 10:42:

Too early

opening

could lead to a renewed

increase

in infection levels and the number of patients lead to the intensive care units, warns

Marx

clear.

The number of intensive care patients in the second wave was about twice as high as in the first wave in spring.

Update from January 22, 10:38 a.m.: When asked,

Drosten explains his forecast of the possible 100,000 new infections

every

day.

"This is a

scenario

, not a calculation," said the virologist.

You have to realize that you could "run into" something like that.

Should the risk groups be

protected

by the

vaccination

in a few weeks

, calls for

relaxation

would certainly

come.

Such a scenario is then quite possible.

“We shouldn't be too careless,” said

Drosten

.

Corona in Germany: positive trend recognizable in intensive care units

Update from January 22nd, 10:28 am:

"We ca

n't

see

a Christmas or New Year's Eve peak

," says DIVI President

Marx

.

He praises the population for it.

Overall, a

positive trend

can

be seen in the intensive care units

.

The numbers would drop significantly.

“But one cannot speak of relaxation just yet”.

The number of infections must therefore be further reduced and measures must be observed.

"A

spread of the mutation

leads to intensive care medicine being utilized," says Marx.

He draws attention to the fact that the staff in the intensive care units is heavily stressed.

Corona in Germany: Drosten informs about the Corona mutation

Update from January 22nd, 10:23 am:

For the control of this mutant, the extension and tightening of the

corona measures are

correct and important.

How much the mutation will spread cannot be definitively predicted, said

Drosten

.

The numbers mentioned are not "statistically representative".

You have to be patient until that is possible.

Update from January 22nd, 10:20 am:

Virologist

Christian Drosten

first gives information about

sequencing

.

The mutant from Great Britain was initially discovered by an abnormality in PCR tests and then confirmed by sequencing.

According to the latest findings, the virus variant provides an additional infectivity of

22 to 35 percent

on the R value.

“Some of what I can tell here is only anecdotal,”

explains Drosten

.

The

mutation

was

"brought in" by

tourist traffic over the

Christmas holidays

- not only from Great Britain, but also from other neighboring countries.

+

Virologist Christian Drosten at the federal press conference on the current corona situation in Germany.

© picture alliance / dpa / Reuters Pool |

Fabrizio Bensch

Corona in Germany: Wieler appeals to compliance with the measures

Update from January 22nd, 10.13 a.m.:

RKI boss

Wieler

takes the floor.

The number of

infections

in Germany is falling slightly, he reports.

The RKI dashboard is slowly becoming brighter.

"Unfortunately we still see a lot of

outbreaks in old people's and nursing homes,

" Wieler clarifies.

About 900 cases are known, "there is probably also an unreported number."

He draws

attention

to the

death

toll, which continues to be far too high.

"It is an oppressive, for me almost unbelievable number," said

Wieler

about the 50,000 corona deaths in Germany, which have now exceeded.

It is therefore important to

continue to adhere

to the

measures

.

"We can only return to normal everyday life if we reduce the number of cases and keep them permanently low," said the RKI boss.

He appeals for vaccination and compliance with the measures.

"Let's not give the coronavirus a chance."

Corona in Germany: Spahn wants to "minimize the spread of the mutation as much as possible"

Update from January 22nd, 10:08 am:

"We want to

minimize

the

spread of the corona mutation

as much as possible," said Spahn.

Therefore, easing the

lockdown is

currently not an option.

New measures, such as the introduction of the medical mask requirement, are therefore necessary.

Spahn explains that there is hope through the

vaccination campaign

.

“We are at the height of the pandemic, and at the same time we have begun the way out of the pandemic.

The

approval

of AstraZeneca's vaccine is also foreseeable.

"Take part, let's not let up now," appeals

Spahn

.

He promised that an offer could be made to every resident in the homes by mid-February.

Update from January 22nd, 10:05 am:

“The numbers are encouraging, they are developing in the right direction,”

Spahn

clarifies.

But they are still at too high a level.

The aim is to

further reduce

the number of

infections

in order to relieve the health authorities and especially the hospitals.

Too early

loosening

could lead to an inflamation of the situation, that has been seen in many European countries.

Corona in Germany: PK with Spahn, Wieler and Drosten on the current situation

Update from January 22nd, 10 a.m .:

The

federal press conference

on the current situation in the

corona lockdown

begins.

Health Minister Spahn takes the floor first.

First of all, he recalls the beginnings of the pandemic last year and the consequences so far.

“It's not over yet,” he explains.

+

RKI boss Lothar Wieler, Health Minister Jens Spahn and virologist Christian Drosten speak at a press conference on the current corona situation in Germany.

© imago images / photothek / Janine Schmitz

Update from January 22nd, 9.55 a.m .:

In a federal press

conference

from 10 a.m., Federal Health Minister

Jens Spahn

(CDU), RKI boss

Lothar Wieler

, virologist

Christian Drosten

and

Gernot Marx

, President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI ), on the current situation in the corona lockdown in Germany.

Corona in Germany: RKI reports 17,862 new infections - 859 new deaths

Update from January 22, 6:49 a.m.:

In Germany,

more than 50,000 people have died

in connection with the

coronavirus

since the beginning of the pandemic

.

The German health authorities reported

859 new deaths to

the Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

within 24 hours, as the RKI announced on Friday morning.

This brought the total number of deaths to

50,642

.

Exactly one week ago, 1113 new deaths were recorded within 24 hours.

The

high

of 1,244 new deaths was reached on January 14th.

The health authorities also reported

17,862 new corona infections

to

the RKI

within one day.

Exactly one week ago, the RKI had recorded 22,368 new infections.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI has counted 2,106,262 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany (as of January 22, 00:00).

The actual

total number

is likely to be significantly higher as many infections are not detected.

The RKI stated the number of people recovered to be around 1,780,200.

The

seven-day incidence

was 115.3 on Friday morning, according to the RKI.

Its previous high was reached on December 22nd at 197.6.

The number fluctuated after that and has been falling again for a few days.

However, the differences between the federal states remain large:

Thuringia has the

highest incidences

with 218.4 and Brandenburg with 194.4.

Bremen has the lowest value with 80.9.

The nationwide seven-day R-value was 0.93 (previous day: 0.87) according to the RKI situation report from Thursday evening.

Coronavirus in Germany: R value still below 1 - RKI nevertheless urges caution

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: © imago images / Sven Simon

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-01-23

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