Before the Corona summit: the expert council makes a surprising recommendation

Created: 2022-01-23 06:51

By: Tobias Utz, Nico Scheck

Another Corona summit will take place on Monday: What is on the agenda for the federal-state consultations.

Update from Sunday, January 23rd, 2022, 6:30 a.m.:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council issued a surprising recommendation in view of the high incidence values ​​and case numbers.

Accordingly, the committee does not recommend any new corona tightening in Germany.

The Bild newspaper reports – and refers to a document from the council.

Instead, the existing regulations would have to be retained and consistently implemented, it said.

The experts described the hospitalization rate as an important indicator.

As soon as this exceeds a critical mark, new restrictions have to be discussed.

Which value is considered critical remained open.

Instead of tightening, loosening is even possible, according to the expert council.

If the number of cases and hospital admissions decrease, contact restrictions could be "gradually reduced", according to the report, the statement said.

The Federal Government's Expert Council considers the incidence of hospitalization to be a key indicator for assessing the corona pandemic.

© Jean-Francois Badias/dpa

Corona summit: PCR plan becomes the central topic

+++ 10.35 p.m .:

One of the most important topics at the Corona summit on Monday with representatives of the federal and state governments is a new test regulation that is expected by many parties. For example, the editorial network Germany reports on a draft bill that proposes that health care staff be tested “to maintain a functioning health and care system”.

The background is a shortage of PCR test capacities due to the high number of infections caused by the omicron variant.

In some cities and districts, incidences of more than 1000 are currently being registered.

According to information from the editorial network, some federal states would even order fewer PCR tests.

In addition, the contact tracing of infected people should be focused on fewer areas.

General Practitioners' Association welcomes new rule for corona tests when test capacities are tight

The German Association of General Practitioners has also spoken out in favor of the planned easing of the PCR test strategy: "I would welcome it if, in the future, PCR tests no longer have to be carried out to confirm every antigen test - especially if the test capacities are now running out," said its national chairman Ulrich Credit to the RND.

"Medically, it makes no sense to also have to do a PCR test after a positive antigen test and clear symptoms." Especially for patients who have had contact with infected people, no additional PCR test is necessary after a positive antigen test, explained Weigeldt.

The next Corona summit is on Monday.

© Jens Büttner/dpa

Before the Corona summit: Zoff about compulsory vaccination - some countries are calling for a postponement

+++ 4:22 p.m .:

Before the Corona summit on Monday, the planned compulsory vaccination is suddenly on the brink.

The partial vaccination requirement for nursing and hospital staff should actually be introduced in mid-March.

As the Tagesspiegel reports, however, some federal states are pushing for a postponement.

The reason: You want to wait until the introduction of the new inactivated vaccine from the manufacturer Novavax.

The first shipment of 1.75 million doses is said to be available from February 21, but two shots could delay launch by several weeks.

The topic could also be on the agenda of the new federal-state meeting on the corona pandemic this Monday, it said.

Corona summit: dispute before MPK - Prime Minister calls for new easing

+++ 10.15 a.m .:

Rainer Haseloff, Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, called for new easing before the Corona summit.

“Basically, it is important to remember that the federal government has ended the pandemic situation of national scope.

This means that we - nationally speaking - are back in normal waters.

Politicians have significantly fewer opportunities to make restrictions," said the CDU politician of the world on Sunday.

Haseloff told the newspaper that politics could “not keep tightening up all the time” and “restrict fundamental rights”.

Relaxation is necessary in order not to lose “the support of the population”.

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach had previously warned against easing restrictions (see update from 6.30 a.m.).

Corona summit: Lauterbach warns of easing

Update from Saturday, January 22nd, 2022, 6:30 a.m.:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach spoke out in favor of maintaining the current measures and rules.

When asked by the Rheinische Post whether tightening of the rules could be decided on Monday, Lauterbach said: “No, I don’t advise that.

I am in favor of maintaining the existing measures, i.e. not expanding them.”

However, there should also be no corona loosening in Germany.

"We would pour oil on the fire and accelerate the wave," said the Federal Minister of Health.

Corona summit: are there new rules?

+++ 4.45 p.m .:

So far there is no draft resolution for the Corona summit on Monday (01/24/2022). However, numerous topics related to the pandemic, including mandatory vaccination and prioritizing PCR tests, are already being discussed. However, a media report now suggests that it is unlikely that new corona rules will be decided at the summit.

According to a report by Business Insider magazine, no new corona tightening is planned. The information apparently comes from government circles. Instead, the current corona regulations, including strict contact restrictions for the unvaccinated, should continue to apply. However, it is unclear whether the federal states will respond to the federal plans. Calls for easing have already been heard from several countries. Above all, an adjustment of the corona rules, which are based on the spread of the delta variant, to the circulating omicron variant is required.

+++ 2 p.m .:

In the run-up to the Corona summit, Markus Söder again emphasized how important it was to adapt the measures.

At a press conference on Friday afternoon, the Bavarian Prime Minister said: "Delta management cannot be taken over like this."

Markus Söder proposes the 2G Plus model at sporting events.

(Archive photo) © Frank Hörmann/Sven Simon/Imago Images

In addition, Söder pushed for a common line from the federal and state governments at sporting events: As a solution, he proposed a nationwide 2G Plus model, as in the catering trade.

"It cannot be that there are significantly more spectators in Hamburg, for example," said Söder.

He wants to advertise to a larger audience at the Prime Ministers' Conference (MPK) on Monday, for example in the Bundesliga.

Corona Summit: Rules in the “Omicron Check”?

+++ 11.00 a.m .:

Before the Corona summit on Monday, the CSU * called for the Corona rules to be reviewed in view of the new Omicron wave. "It is true that the fundamentals are changing with Omikron," said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume in the daily newspaper Welt. "We need an omicron check for corona management in Germany", whereby the MPK could be an "important milestone".

Blume explained that after the administrative court's decision to suspend 2G in retail, Bavaria wanted to continue allowing unvaccinated people access to shops. "We'll leave it like that," said Blume. "That belongs in the category: fewer daily restrictions on a small scale, but a clear line on compulsory vaccination for everyone." He reiterated the Union's demand that the federal government have to submit a legislative proposal in the debate about general vaccination instead of the members of the Bundestag to leave. The omicron variant of the coronavirus is significantly more contagious than previous variants. Preliminary studies have shown, however, that infected people do not have to go to the hospital and die as often as the Delta variant. However, experts warnthat the exploding number of infections in Germany could nevertheless lead to an overload in the clinics.

Corona summit: "We must not let the pandemic slip away"

Update from Friday, January 21, 2022, 8 a.m.:

Lower Saxony’s Prime Minister Stephan Weil

out against further easing of the corona measures.

"We must not let the pandemic slip away, that's why we need further precautionary measures," said Weil on Friday in the ARD "Morgenmagazin".

Despite the high incidence of corona, he does not believe that a return to a “total lockdown” is necessary because the situation has “changed”.

Weil criticized the considerable vaccination gap in the German population.

"If we really want to protect ourselves, we need a very high vaccination rate in society as a whole and we will not be able to do that at the pace we are now at." It is noticeable "that the vaccination dynamic has slowed down significantly in the new year “.

He didn't want to know anything about a so-called contamination of the population as an exit from the pandemic.

"I think that's a bit cynical, too.

At the same time, infection also means that a larger number of people will actually end up in intensive care units and many will die. ”It was the goal of politics from the beginning to prevent such a situation.

Corona summit: This is what the federal and state governments are planning

First report from Thursday, January 20th, 2022, 9 a.m.:

Berlin – Germany is in the middle of an omicron wave.

The Corona case numbers * reach a new record every day.

On several days, the number of new infections was already over 100,000.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach* expects the wave to peak in mid-February.

In order to discuss Germany's further strategy in the pandemic, the federal and state governments will again discuss this at a corona summit on Monday.

Various topics come into focus.

So far there is no draft resolution from the summit meeting, but several issues are emerging -

Corona summit: This is what the federal and state governments are planning

• Corona tests:

  Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach brought prioritization for PCR tests into play on Wednesday evening in the ZDF talk* with Markus Lanz*. This should take the form of a new regulation. The background to the possible measure is that Germany's test systems are presumably exhausted. According to Lauterbach, prioritization is therefore absolutely necessary. Green health expert* Janosch Dahmen demanded in the Rheinische Post on Thursday that the PCR test capacities “should be used first to secure the critical infrastructure and to detect infections in symptomatic people”. He explicitly included schools: "Teachers belong to the staff of the critical infrastructure and should therefore also be able to use PCR test capacities as a priority," says Dahmen in an interview.Carsten Breuer, Major General and head of the Corona crisis team*, made a similar statement. According to Breuer, people from the critical infrastructure should be given priority. The Patient Protection Foundation also demanded that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should also have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should also have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."that millions of vulnerable people and their relatives should also have priority in the PCR tests to determine a corona infection. Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, criticized the news agency AFP on Wednesday that Lauterbach “only wanted to give preference to employees in the tests”. "This means that the seriously ill and those in need of care and their contact persons are no longer covered by the protective shield."

• Contact tracing of the health authorities:

  In addition, the contact tracing of the health authorities should be discussed at the Corona summit. Franziska Giffey, Berlin's governing mayor, has recently pushed for new corona rules in this area. In particular, it must be clarified where contact tracing still makes sense so that health authorities can “work more focused” and at the same time be relieved. She called for nationwide uniform regulations.

• Corona loosening:

  New corona loosening should also be discussed. Markus Söder*, Bavaria's Prime Minister, recently focused on the topic. At the Corona summit, he wanted to discuss nationwide rules for a possible opening of the stadiums for Bundesliga games and talk about expanding audience capacities at cultural events, as he told our editorial team.

• Corona vaccination obligation:

  A possible general corona vaccination obligation also causes discussions.

  A rapid debate in the Bundestag is aimed for.

  According to Chancellor Olaf Scholz*, group applications should be discussed across parliamentary groups.

  At the Corona summit, too, a unified line on the subject should be struggled for.

  Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach explained to Markus Lanz again on Wednesday evening how necessary he considers general corona vaccination in Germany to be.

(do with AFP/dpa/rtr)