The number of intensive care patients is decreasing: but the Divi boss warns of Omikron - success with vaccination

Created: 01/16/2022, 10:18 am

By: Magdalena Fürthauer, Christina Denk, Jennifer Lanzinger

According to the DIVI register, the number of corona patients in intensive care units like this one is currently decreasing.

© Jens Büttner/dpa

The RKI reports a high number of infections.

But the number of corona intensive care patients is decreasing.

Nevertheless, there is no reason to give the all-clear, says the Divi boss.

The news ticker.

• The RKI reports more Corona * cases of infection than ever before, and the incidence is also at a record high

  (see update from January 15, 7.32 a.m.).

• The number of corona intensive care patients is

  decreasing (see update from January 15, 5:35 p.m.).

• Milestone: On Saturday, the international vaccine alliance sent the one billionth dose of vaccine

  (see update from January 15, 9:24 p.m.).

• This news ticker is continuously updated.

Update from January 15, 9:24 p.m .:

The one billionth dose: According to the RKI, 72.5 percent of people in Germany are now vaccinated for a second time and 45.9 percent are boosted. Internationally, the numbers don't look so good. As a result, the international vaccine program Covax is now delivering vaccine doses to 144 countries. The alliance called Gavi primarily supplies poorer countries that do not have the money to order the vaccines themselves. It consists of governments, companies, foundations and UN organizations. On Saturday, she shipped the one billionth dose. She was said to be in a shipment that arrived in Rwanda on Saturday.

Gavi boss Seth Berkley pointed out that the vaccine distribution is still very unequal. 41 percent of the world's population has not yet received a single dose of vaccine. "We will redouble our efforts to end the imbalance," he said in Geneva. Covax is working to help countries with the infrastructure needed to launch large immunization programs. The goal of vaccinating 40 percent of the population in every country in the world by the end of 2021 had been missed in several dozen countries. By the middle of the year, 70 percent of the people in all countries should have been vaccinated. In many African countries, however, hardly ten vaccine doses per 100 inhabitants have been administered so far. In Germany, according to WHO figures, it was 185 per 100 inhabitants.

The number of corona patients in intensive care units is falling - intensive care physicians make an assessment

Update from January 15, 5:35 p.m .:

The number of corona patients in the intensive care unit is falling in Germany.

This is shown by the overview of the DIVI register in the RKI report.

Overall, the number of Covid-19 cases treated in intensive care fell by 51 cases on Saturday.

There were a total of 1556 new admissions.

1607 treatments were completed (of which 16 percent of patients died).

In the past few days, there have been fewer admissions than discharges from the intensive care units.

A declining trend.

However, Divi boss and intensive care physician Christian Karagiannidis believes that the omicron wave has not yet fully hit the hospitals.

"It doesn't look as if at the moment, as of today, the omicron wave has already hit the intensive care units," says Karagiannidis in an interview with

.

In view of the increased number of infections, an emergency plan is therefore needed for the hospitals.

Although it is currently mainly younger people aged up to 35 who are infected, the high number of infections means that doctors and nurses will be absent.

Corona record numbers in Germany: Federal state partly imposes new curfews

Update from January 15, 11:40 a.m .:

The rapidly increasing numbers across Germany are also reflected in Baden-Württemberg. In some areas of the state, the seven-day incidence climbs over 500 and new measures come into force there, as reported by

. For those who are not immunized, i.e. those who have not been vaccinated and have not recovered, there will therefore be a night-time exit restriction from Saturday. Affected people are only allowed to leave the house between 9 p.m. and 5 a.m. with a valid reason, for example to work or to visit their partner.

, the rules apply

in the cities of Mannheim, Karlsruhe, Heidelberg and Ulm as well as in the districts of Ravensburg, Waldshut, Biberach, Rastatt and Schwarzwald-Baar.

The rules have been in force in Freiburg since Tuesday.

According to the state’s Corona Ordinance, the stricter measures could only be lifted if the incidence was below the limit value for five days in a row.

And yet some experts give reason to hope that the situation will ease soon.

One of the reasons for this is the Omicron variant.

RKI reports another record - Germany's incidence higher than ever

Update from January 15, 7:32 a.m .:

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has again reported a high in the nationwide seven-day incidence. The RKI gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Saturday morning at a whopping 497.1. This is the highest value since the beginning of the pandemic. For comparison: the day before the value was 470.6. A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 335.9 (previous month: 353.0). The health authorities in Germany reported 78,022 new corona infections to the RKI within one day (as of January 15, 5 a.m.). A week ago there were 55,889 infections.

According to the new information, 235 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours.

A week ago there were 268 deaths.

The RKI has counted 7,913,473 proven infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic.

The RKI gave the number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days as 3.23 on Friday (Thursday: 3.09, Wednesday: 3.13).

It had risen again for the first time in a few days.

The RKI gave the number of recovered people on Saturday as 6,942,400.

The number of people who died from or involved a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 115,572.

Update from January 14, 10:20 p.m .:

The federal government’s crisis team chief Carsten Breuer rated the Omicron wave as “manageable”. Among other things, with more vaccinations, a bulwark will be built against the wave. On the other hand, Andreas Gassen, head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVB), is certain that almost every citizen will come into contact with the Omikron variant in the next few months. The virus is too contagious to assume a different scenario. Most vaccinated people would hardly notice an infection. "But there is a risk that the older unvaccinated people who may still have previous illnesses could become seriously ill," said the KBV boss. A study from the USA has identified a list of risk factors that favor a severe course despite vaccination.

Corona situation in Germany: quarantine alarm in Berlin – capital cuts public transport

Update from January 14, 7:15 p.m .:

The high number of infections is noticeable in the Berlin transport company (BVG).

The company announced a restriction of the timetable on Friday.

The reason for this is increasing cases of sick leave and quarantine cases.

Initially, the measure only affects bus transport.

Another cut is expected to come into effect on January 24th.

The timetable in the bus sector will initially be reduced by 3.2 percent.

Test laboratories had previously reported an overload

In order to keep quarantine-related failures to a minimum, the federal and state governments decided on new regulations last week.

The RKI has now also changed its recommendations.

They apply from this Saturday.

In general, the quarantine times for contact persons of infected people and the isolation of sick people should be based on a "seven-day rule": They end after seven days if you then "test yourself free" with a negative PCR or rapid test.

For the end of isolation, you have to be symptom-free for 48 hours.

Without a final test, quarantine and isolation should each last ten days.

Corona situation in Germany: the head of the laboratory now advises not to use PCR in one case

Update from January 14, 6:10 p.m .:

The number of infections is increasing steadily in Germany. More than 90,000 new infections were recorded on Friday (see original report). This is also clearly noticeable in the test laboratories. dr Thomas Fenner, managing director of such a laboratory, said in an interview with

: The situation has "been unmanageable since the New Year". The number of samples clearly exceeds the capacities. Even with extra shifts, the evaluation usually took between 36 and 48 hours. Health Minister Lauterbach recently called for the evaluation to be prioritized for nursing staff.

In view of the many red warnings from the Corona app, the question now arises: Who should still take a PCR test as a citizen?

Fenner advises against this in the following situations: If you have already received a positive test the day before or if you have symptoms in combination with a positive antigen test, you can, according to his statements, do without a PCR test.

Corona situation in Germany: More billions in support for hospitals

Update from January 14, 4:47 p.m .:

The hospitals are receiving additional billions in support from the federal government because of the restrictions in the wake of the corona pandemic.

For the period from mid-November 2021 to the end of January 2022, the federal government is making 2.5 billion euros available, as the portal

reported on Friday.

It referred to a communication from the Federal Ministry of Finance to the Budget Committee.

The money should therefore be used to compensate for the loss of income in hospitals that had to postpone or suspend plannable admissions, operations and other interventions in order to create capacities for the treatment of corona patients.

Update from January 14, 11:45 a.m .:

Not only Germany is struggling with the Omicron wave, Italy is also struggling with record numbers.

The increase in affected people is already having an impact on the intensive care units there.

Update from January 14, 10:45 a.m

.: The corona numbers in Germany are breaking new records.

Federal Health Minister Lauterbach, RKI boss Wieler and virologist Christian Drosten will provide information on Friday at a PK.

Update from January 14, 7.40 a.m .:

The virologist and epidemiologist Klaus Stöhr no longer believes that contact tracing to combat the corona pandemic in Germany makes sense. “We need an exit plan. How do we adapt the measures to the changing situation and the changing virus? I can't tell you why you should still do contact tracing in Germany. In terms of incidence, it can no longer be managed by the health authorities," he says in the podcast "Die Wochentester" of the

and the

in conversation with the moderators Wolfgang Bosbach and Christian Rach.

Stöhr: “If a large part of the population is mildly and asymptomatically infected and has antibodies, a so-called contact tracing quarantine becomes pointless.

You are moving from the first part of the pandemic to the second.

This has already started in South Africa.” What the virologist, on the other hand, thinks makes sense: “The best way out of the pandemic would be to get vaccinated first and then get infected.

The package will then include long-lasting immune protection.

The combination of vaccination protection and infection is actually the way.”

More than 90,000 infections for the first time: RKI reports new high - incidence also breaks record

Original notification from January 14, 2022:

Berlin – For two years now, the corona virus * has determined everyday life in Germany and many other countries.

Above all, the new variant Omikron is currently causing a rapidly increasing number of infections.

The Robert Koch Institute is now actually reporting a new high.

The incidence also breaks a new record.

More than 90,000 infections for the first time: RKI reports new high - incidence also breaks record

For the first time, more than 90,000 new corona infections were reported to the RKI within one day. According to data from Friday morning, 92,223 people have tested positive for the virus in the past 24 hours. There was a record two days ago. On Wednesday, the number was greater than 80,000 for the first time. Exactly one week ago there were 56,335 new infections recorded, although there were gaps in tests and reports during the holidays.

The seven-day incidence also peaked at 470.6.

For comparison: the day before the value was 427.7.

A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 303.4 (previous month: 375.0).

According to the new information, 286 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours.

A week ago there were 264 deaths.