Corona situation "very worrying" - the number of cases is falling far too slowly 

Created: 12/18/2021 Updated: 12/18/2021, 6:23 AM

From: Stefan Krieger

The number of reported new corona infections in Germany is falling.

But, according to the Robert Koch Institute, development could not go fast enough.

Berlin - The seven-day incidence in Germany * has been falling continuously for days. However, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the numbers are not developing strong and fast enough in view of the persistently high levels of stress in intensive care units and the impending wave of omicons. "The current development is still very worrying," warned the RKI in its weekly report on Thursday (December 17th, 2021). "The measures must therefore now be maintained and even intensified despite the falling number of cases."

The number of reported new Corona * infections fell by 13 percent between December 6th and 12th compared to the previous week, according to the report.

The proportion of samples tested positive did not increase either and is now 19.8 percent (previous week: 20.6 percent).

Despite this development, the number of cases is still very high.

Corona in Germany: The burden on hospitals and intensive care units remains high

The seven-day incidence has decreased in all age groups compared to the previous week.

Only among 0 to 4 year olds does it stagnate.

The highest seven-day incidences are still recorded in the younger age groups: it was 905 for 10 to 14-year-olds and 888 for 5 to 9-year-olds. However, schoolchildren are also tested particularly frequently.

The burden on hospitals and intensive care units also remains high.

Most of the hospital admissions are in the age groups over 60 years.

According to the RKI, calculations indicate that the hospitalization rate is stabilizing at a high level.

4805 Covid-19 patients are currently (as of December 15) being treated in an intensive care unit.

According to the RKI, at least 102 have been relocated across federal state borders according to the so-called clover leaf concept.

RKI boss Lothar Wieler advises only celebrating Christmas in a small group.

© Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa

The RKI registered an increase in the number of detected infections with the omicron variant * of the coronavirus.

By December 14th, 112 cases of the worrying variant have been detected via genome sequencing.

In 213 other cases there is suspicion based on a specific PCR test.

There are already first outbreaks.

By December 7th, there had been 28 known infections with the Omikron variant.

In relation to the total number of infections, however, the variant hardly plays a role in Germany: practically all infections are currently still caused by the delta variant, writes the RKI.

Corona in Germany: No deaths yet after Omicron infection

For 237 Omicron infections there is information on the symptoms.

The infections were therefore mostly without or with mild symptoms such as runny nose, cough and sore throat.

Deaths have not yet been recorded.

In order to slow the spread of the variant, the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, called on Thursday to only celebrate Christmas in a small group.

"We all want to spend the holidays with family and friends, but we all have to work together to ensure that Christmas doesn't become a kick start for Omikron," he said in Berlin.

He "urged" citizens to spend the holidays in such a way that they would be "not a festival for the virus".

In order to also relieve the hospitals before the expected Omikron wave, a rapid increase in the vaccination rate is urgently required in addition to the intensification of contact-restricting measures, the RKI report continues.

24 percent of the 18 to 59 year olds and 12 percent of the over 60 year olds are still unvaccinated.

Karl Lauterbach: An additional 35 million Moderna vaccination doses

The pace of vaccinations had recently increased significantly.

In the past week, according to the RKI, there was a maximum number of vaccinations with over 6.6 million vaccinations.

This week there was on Wednesday almost 1.5 million vaccinations, a daily record since the start of the vaccination campaign.

The majority of these were booster vaccinations (nearly 1.3 million).

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach * (SPD *) wants to avoid an impending vaccine shortage with accelerated deliveries. For example, 35 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are to be delivered earlier than originally planned, 10 million of them in December, he said on Thursday in Berlin. There are also negotiations with Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Poland about a short-term takeover of cans that are not needed there. The federal government had already announced that it would buy an additional 80 million cans from Biontech through EU contracts.

How well the vaccinations protect against the Omikron variant is still uncertain. On Thursday, researchers reported that two vaccinations with the product of the US manufacturer Moderna * protect less well against Omikron than against certain earlier variants. Accordingly, four weeks after the second dose, vaccinated persons had significantly fewer antibodies against this variant in their blood than against others tested. The pharmaceutical companies Biontech and Pfizer * had also reported declining protection against Omikron. However, a booster vaccination increased the number of protective antibodies in both cases.

The number of serious illnesses and deaths will continue to increase and the available intensive care treatment capacities will be exceeded regionally, warned the RKI.

An intensification of the contact-restricting measures and a rapid further increase in vaccination rates are therefore urgently required in order to relieve the capacities as far as possible before the start of an expected omicron wave.

(skr with dpa / AFP)