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Jens Spahn: Corona openings at the limit of what is responsible

2021-03-05T09:35:03.630Z


Jens Spahn sees the new Corona resolutions as a struggle to find the right balance between normalcy and health protection. The Minister of Health is optimistic about rapid tests.


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RKI President Lothar Wieler and Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn at the federal press conference

Photo: Michael Kappeler / dpa

After the new Corona resolutions, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) commented on the strategy.

The easing therefore went "to the limit of what is justifiable from the point of view of health protection."

But after months of the lockdown, no loosening was also irresponsible, said Spahn at the federal press conference on Friday.

He spoke of a struggle to find the right balance between health protection and normalcy.

"That won't be trivial"

As of Monday, the federal government will finance at least one rapid corona test per week for all citizens.

Spahn expressed confidence that the necessary test centers will be set up quickly on site.

The municipalities should organize this together with partners.

Testing therefore also includes taking a sample for a PCR test directly on site in the event of a positive rapid test in order to clarify the result.

However, the rapid tests would not be available everywhere on March 8, according to Spahn.

But rapid tests are easily available, said the minister.

Manufacturers said their warehouses were full.

According to Spahn, self-tests that can be bought for home use should also be available quickly.

A manufacturer had confirmed to him that he could deliver 20 million tests a week.

According to Spahn, self-tests can also be increasingly used in schools in order to simply test pupils there.

However, testing alone does not solve the problem, stressed Spahn.

It is important, but not the only thing that is necessary in combating the pandemic.

The President of the Robert Koch Institute Lothar Wieler did not want to make a prognosis at the conference as to how much the number of reported corona infections could increase simply through increased testing with rapid tests.

Among other things, one does not yet know how many people even accept the offer to be tested weekly.

"It won't be trivial," said Wieler.

It becomes more difficult to classify this measure.

But you also have others who show how the pandemic is going, such as the occupancy of the intensive care beds.

Wieler warned of "signals of a trend reversal" in the number of infections.

In particular, the proportion of mutant B.1.1.7, which was first discovered in Great Britain, is increasing.

B.1.1.7 is even more contagious and dangerous - in all age groups, according to Wieler.

The proportion of this worrying variant in all corona samples examined was six percent four weeks ago, and a little more than 20 percent two weeks ago.

In the past week, B.1.1.7 made up more than 40 percent of the cases.

Wieler emphasized that all available vaccines also protect against B.1.1.7.

NRW: Vaccinations in nursing homes completed for two weeks

Karl-Josef Laumann, Minister for Labor, Health and Social Affairs in North Rhine-Westphalia, reported on the vaccination campaign in North Rhine-Westphalia.

As in all federal states, people in old people's and nursing homes were vaccinated first.

This part of the vaccination campaign has been completed.

Everyone who wanted to be vaccinated would have received their second vaccination no later than 14 days ago.

According to Laumann, almost 200,000 people live in inpatient care facilities in North Rhine-Westphalia.

Almost every second of the around 12,000 Covid deaths in North Rhine-Westphalia had lived in a nursing home.

On December 23, at the start of the vaccination campaign, 5,000 people living in nursing homes were infected with corona.

Today there are well below 500 corona cases in the homes.

And the course of the disease is so easy that those affected do not even have to go to hospital, said Laumann.

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Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2021-03-05

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