Corona numbers keep increasing - urgent vaccination appeal

How many hesitants can still be won for vaccinations soon if the corona situation becomes more critical again in autumn?

A poll doesn't raise high hopes.

Berlin - In view of the ever increasing corona numbers in Germany, booster vaccinations as protection for the winter are increasingly being considered.

The managing health minister Jens Spahn (CDU) called on Thursday for such a reinforcement ("booster") of vaccinations that had been in the past - especially since many previously non-vaccinated people are apparently hardly to be won over. According to a survey commissioned by the ministry, almost nine out of ten non-vaccinated people tend not to want to be vaccinated in the next eight weeks either. Clinics warned of further increasing loads.

With more than 100,000 booster vaccinations for the first time, a daily record has now been achieved, as Spahn explained.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there were 102,400 of them nationwide on Wednesday - as well as 43,700 first vaccinations and 77,800 second vaccinations.

In total, a good 1.8 million people have now received a vaccination boost.

Such a booster at least six months after a full vaccination is offered to older people, corona risk groups, but also to those who have been vaccinated with Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson.

The booster syringes

Spahn himself had a booster vaccination on Thursday and campaigned for many others to do the same.

"We should" boost "ourselves into a safe winter," he said, according to the ministry, at a German-Israeli conference in Berlin.

It is important to follow the example of Israel when it comes to refreshments - especially since many of those who have not yet been vaccinated can no longer be convinced.

It is all the more important that everyone else remains protected.

At the end of July, Israel became the first country in the world to start third-party vaccinations.

The conditions

In this country, refreshments have been going on on a larger scale since September.

The federal and state health ministers had decided that they could be offered to people aged 60 and over after medical advice.

Those who have recovered who have received a vaccination with Astrazeneca or Johnson & Johnson can get a refresher with Biontech or Moderna - that's how Spahn did it.

The Standing Vaccination Commission recommends refresher courses for the time being from the age of 70, including for nurses and medical staff who come into contact with patients and for people with a weakened immune system.

The Vaccination Ordinance provides for the possibility of booster vaccinations for everyone for whom there are approved vaccines.

The non-vaccinated

Even ten months after the vaccination started, millions of people have not yet participated.

In the survey on unvaccinated people on behalf of the ministry, 65 percent said that they would “definitely not” be vaccinated in the next eight weeks - 23 percent said “rather no”.

Only 5 percent want to do it “definitely” or “more or less”, 7 percent said they were undecided.

When it came to reasons why they didn't get vaccinated, 34 percent said they thought the vaccines weren't well-tested.

Fear of side effects was mentioned by 18 percent.

From September 29 to October 10, the Forsa Institute surveyed 3,048 people aged 14 and over who had not yet had a vaccination.

The editorial network Germany reported on it first.

The vaccination stand

According to reports from Thursday, a total of at least 55.3 million people or 66.5 percent of the population are now fully vaccinated with the second syringe, which is usually necessary.

At least 57.6 million people or 69.3 percent of all residents received at least one first vaccination.

The RKI assumes, however, that a little more people are vaccinated among adults than the registration data shows.

Regional differences are large: In Bremen, 77.9 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.

These vaccination rates are lowest in Saxony (56.5 percent), Brandenburg (60.3), Thuringia (60.4), Saxony-Anhalt (62.9) and Bavaria (64.3 percent).

The location

The corona spread continues to accelerate.

According to the RKI, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days rose to 130.2 - after 118 the previous day and 85.6 a week ago.

28 037 new cases were reported within one day, just a little less than at the pandemic peak around Christmas.

How many people with Corona have to go to clinics differs greatly from region to region.

According to RKI figures, there were more than ten times as many per 100,000 inhabitants in Thuringia as in Hamburg.

The CEO of the German Hospital Association, Gerald Gaß, spoke in the editorial network of Germany of a "critical situation".

If the development continues, there will be 3,000 patients in intensive care units in two weeks.

The fight against corona

The situation is becoming more critical, especially in south-east Germany.

In Saxony, Thuringia and Bavaria, the seven-day incidence has now broken through the 200 mark, according to the RKI.

For Bavaria, Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced on Thursday that school children will probably have to wear masks again in class after the autumn break.

There will be no general lockdown - especially since most of them are vaccinated.

For regions with very high corona numbers, however, he promised stricter access regulations to certain areas.

also read

Third syringes against Corona: Ministerial letter in the drawer

The booster vaccinations against Corona are already running at full speed in old people's homes and doctor's practices, despite a lack of general recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission.

According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Thursday, over 185,000 people in North Rhine-Westphalia have already received a booster vaccination.

Within one day, almost 14 came.

Third syringes against Corona: Ministerial letter in the drawer

Stiko: No general booster recommendation for seniors

The Stiko is in favor of booster vaccinations in the corona pandemic - but initially only for certain people.

Age alone is therefore not a reason for a booster.

Stiko: No general booster recommendation for seniors

RKI: Seven-day incidence increased slightly

The Robert Koch Institute reports 3088 new corona infections within one day.

The seven-day incidence increases somewhat and is 64.7.

64.7 percent of the population are now fully vaccinated.

RKI: Seven-day incidence increased slightly

In North Rhine-Westphalia, on the other hand, the mask requirement at the seat in the classroom is to be dropped on November 2 - the seven-day incidence there is 91.7 according to the RKI.

dpa