Corona Zoff in Germany: RKI paper contradicts Spahn plans and calls for further "basic protection measures"

Health Minister Spahn wanted to weaken the 7-day incidence as a measure for assessing the corona situation.

The RKI warns against this in a new paper.

Berlin - In the opinion of the Robert Koch Institute, the incidence should remain the leading indicator for the infection dynamics.

This emerges from a paper that RKI boss Lothar Wieler * presented on Monday at a switching conference with the heads of the state chancelleries of the federal states.

This finding stands in stark contrast to the plans presented by the Minister of Health in mid-July.

"Incidence is the leading indicator for infection dynamics (high incidences have numerous effects)," says the paper that is available to the German Press Agency and which was first

reported by

and

.

The seven-day incidence remains important in order to assess the situation in Germany and to initiate control measures at an early stage.

Actually, the federal government no longer wanted to use the seven-day incidence as the most important indicator in the pandemic.

RKI paper ensures discussions with country representatives

According to information from the

, there should have been major discussions with the country representatives because of the RKI's proposal in the switch. Many countries want to move away from incidence as the most important criterion. Above all, the hospital occupancy rate should be included in the assessment.

Regarding the current situation, the paper says that the incidence has been rising again for around three weeks, the proportion of hospitalizations for around two weeks.

"The fourth wave has begun," warned RKI boss Lothar Wieler in the switching conference.

High vaccination rates alone are not enough to keep the fourth wave flat, it continues.

Additional “basic protection measures” are necessary in order to reduce the fourth wave so that the number of patients in hospitals does not become too high.

The paper mentions a reduction in contacts and a reduction in mobility as measures.

RKI contradicts plans of the Minister of Health

The 7-seven-day incidence is the basis for many corona measures in Germany. Recently, several state chiefs, including Saarland's Prime Minister Tobias Hans, spoke out in favor of considering other factors in addition to the incidence value in order to assess the corona situation. On July 11th, Health Minister Jens Spahn also tweeted: “Since the risk groups at risk are vaccinated, a high incidence does not automatically mean an equally high level of stress in the intensive care beds. The incidence is becoming increasingly less meaningful, we now need even more detailed information about the situation in the clinics. "

The new RKI paper is now in strong contradiction to the plans of the Minister of Health.

Spahn's ministry actually wanted to present a new reporting regulation so that one could assess promptly "how high the burden on the health system will be and how well the vaccinations will work," said Spahn on Twitter.

Chancellery chief Helge Braun therefore explained the question of what significance incidence should have in the future as a directional decision.

The federal and state governments should therefore decide by the next Corona summit * on August 10th whether they will only prevent the overloading of the health system or whether they want to ensure the follow-up of the corona infection and thus keep the incidence low.

List of rubric lists: © Michael Kappeler