Germany's incidence jumps again - WHO chief with amazing March forecast

Created: 2022-01-25 05:01

The RKI again reports a high for the corona numbers in Germany.

According to WHO assessments, however, the omicron variant could lead to the end of the pandemic.

The news ticker.

• Corona* in Germany: The incidence is 840.3 on Monday (update from January 24, 6:07 a.m.).

• Relaxation is probably not an issue at the Corona summit this Monday (update from January 24, 12:16 p.m.).

• The Expert Council criticizes the thin data situation in Germany (update from January 23, 11:51 a.m.).

• This news ticker on the corona pandemic in Germany is updated regularly.

Lauterbach: After the omicron wave, the time has come to relax

Update from January 24, 9:17 p.m .:

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) expects that the corona measures in Germany can be relaxed after the omicron wave has been exceeded.

At the moment, given the increasing number of cases, one still has to hope “that we can get there without tightening up,” he said on Monday evening after the end of the federal-state consultations on

.

But once the wave has been overcome, “for example in mid-February” and the number of infections has gone down again, “then the time has come to relax”. Lauterbach had already stated several times that the peak of the omicron wave in Germany would probably be reached in mid-February. Until then, he expects several hundred thousand new infections per day. In view of the rapidly increasing numbers, the federal and state governments decided on Monday to maintain the applicable everyday requirements for the time being. However, they did not rule out further steps if the health system were to be overburdened.

Lauterbach fears that normal wards in particular will be under a lot of pressure in hospitals because omicron infections are often milder than infections with the delta variant.

But it could be that there are also major problems in intensive care units.

So that the hospitals would not be overwhelmed, Omikron should be at most about 10 to 15 percent as dangerous as the Delta variant, he calculated.

The health secretary also defended the plan to prioritize the use of PCR tests. 

The federal government wants to examine the extension of corona economic aid

Update from January 24, 7 p.m.:

The federal government wants to check whether the Corona economic aid and the special regulations for short-time work benefits will be extended beyond March. The decision paper on the consultations between Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the heads of government of the federal states on Monday states that there is agreement that a decision must be made promptly on the continuation and design of the aid.

The federal government will present a proposal for this by the next meeting, taking into account the further development of the infection process and the measures to contain the pandemic.

The next federal-state round should take place on February 16, unless the further course of infection makes an earlier meeting necessary.

Despite the pandemic, the labor market remains stable, the paper says.

The number of employees subject to social security contributions is high.

The extension of economic aid and the special regulations for short-time work benefits until March 31, 2022 will continue to support employees and companies.

Business associations had already called for the regulations on short-time work benefits to be extended.

A central crisis instrument is also bridging aid for companies whose sales have collapsed due to the pandemic.

The bridging aid was last extended until the end of March.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the federal government had supported companies with billions of dollars. 

PCR test capacities are to be increased

Update from January 24, 6:56 p.m .:

In view of the rapidly increasing corona infections, the limited capacities for PCR tests should be increased.

All efforts must be made to do this, according to a decision by the federal and state governments on Monday.

At the same time, it was stated that it was essential to prioritize when bottlenecks occurred.

The federal states took note of the decision of the conference of health ministers to focus the limited availability of PCR tests on particularly vulnerable groups and on employees who care for and treat them.

These are the staff in particular in hospitals, in practices, in nursing, in integration assistance facilities and for people at risk of serious illnesses.

Accordingly, a suspicion of a Covid 19 infection should continue to be clarified by a PCR test.

Likewise, PCR tests are to be used for high-risk patients in order to enable early treatment.

Corona summit: the federal and state governments are sticking to previous restrictions

Update from January 24, 6:33 p.m .: The

federal and state governments are sticking to the previous protective measures in the corona pandemic.

"It is right to continue on this course," said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on Monday evening after consultations with the heads of government of the federal states.

So there should continue to be strict contact restrictions, "wherever many people come together".

"We don't yet know how the number of infections will develop," said Scholz, whether there would be "a more dramatic development" or whether Germany would get through this period relatively well.

It is therefore important "that we have to remain cautious".

In addition, Scholz announced that the vaccination campaign would be stepped up again.

The federal and state governments had "come to the conclusion that essentially everything should remain as it is for the next few weeks," said Saxony's Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU).

"So no tightening, but no easing either."

This basic line was also confirmed by the Brandenburg state government.

Corona protests: Steinmeier sees a danger to social peace

Update from January 24, 5:19 p.m .:

Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier sees the violent protests against the state corona policy as a threat to social peace in Germany. “Each violent escalation is one too many. Because it's not just about disregarding the right of assembly or hygiene rules," Steinmeier said on Monday in Berlin. "It's about the disregard for social peace in our country. Hate and violence destroy the foundation of our togetherness.”

In the round of talks on "Hate and violence in the times of the pandemic", the head of state warned against trivializing the events. "The danger is real, and it is concrete." Hygiene rules and corona requirements are deliberately circumvented, doctor's offices and vaccination buses are attacked, the homes of politicians, especially local politicians, are besieged, police officers are targeted and journalists are attacked. Death threats made headlines.

Steinmeier emphasized that freedom of assembly is a valuable asset.

The same applies to freedom of expression.

"But an incitement to violence, even an incitement to murder, that is not the perception of expression of opinion.

Anyone who opposes our law and joins forces with self-declared enemies of the state and right-wing extremists who are known to protect the constitution can no longer credibly invoke democracy and freedom.”

Coronavirus Germany: 90,000 vaccinations on Sunday

Update from January 24, 4:25 p.m .:

90,000 corona vaccinations were administered in Germany on Sunday. This emerges from information from the RKI on Monday. This means that 73.4 percent of the population (61 million) now have full basic protection. This usually requires two doses of vaccine. The RKI still counts people who have only received one dose of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine - however, this is being changed: In future, J&J vaccinated people should only be given a second dose of vaccination - if possible with an mRNA vaccine such as that from Biontech/Pfizer or Moderna - benefit from the 2G rules.

So far, according to the information, 75.5 percent of the population (62.8 million people) have received at least one primary vaccination. 41.9 million people or 50.4 percent of the population have received a booster vaccination so far. According to the RKI, 24.5 percent of the population (20.4 million people) are currently not vaccinated. There is currently no approved vaccine available for four million of these people aged 0 to 4 years.

Update from January 24, 12:16 p.m

.: Relaxation or tightening?

Before the Corona summit on Monday, there are no signs of a fundamental change from the previous course.

A decision is expected to prioritize PCR tests and shorten the quarantine for hospital and nursing staff.

But before the meeting at 2 p.m., a group of supporters of easing from the Union formed.

This obviously causes irritation.

Compulsory vaccinations: Hospitals expect staff shortages

Update from January 24, 12:02 p.m

.: Hospitals are already struggling with staff shortages.

Now there is also compulsory vaccination from mid-March.

Clinics expect problems, according to a recent survey by the German Hospital Society (DKG), the vaccination rate is very high, especially among employees* in care.

Excess mortality especially in people over 80

Update from January 24, 9:14 a.m

.: Corona has led to deaths, especially among those over 80. This is the result of new calculations by the economic research institute Ifo. Two thirds of the so-called corona excess mortality were accounted for by people over 80 years of age; another 30 percent of those affected were between 60 and 79 years old. Younger age groups were affected only 7 percent. Scientists use “corona excess mortality” to describe the fact that significantly more people died in the pandemic than would have been expected based on long-term averages. 

“By the end of 2021, 96,200 more people had died since the outbreak of the pandemic than would have been expected under normal circumstances.

The number of additional deaths attributable to the pandemic is therefore lower than previous estimates suggest," says Joachim Ragnitz from the Dresden branch of the Ifo Institute, according to a press release.

According to the institute, the Ifo number for excess mortality also takes into account the normal aging process in society, which leads to a higher number of deaths every year.

It is around 15 percent lower than the number of deaths recorded by the Robert Koch Institute in connection with a Covid 19 infection.

RKI: Incidence now at 840.3

Update from January 24, 6:07 a.m

.: There is a clear upward

the incidence in Germany on Monday.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a value of 840.3 on Monday morning and thus a new high.

For comparison: the day before the value was 806.8.

A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 528.2 (previous month: 222.7).

Within one day, 63,393 new corona infections and 28 other deaths were recorded, as can be seen from the Covid 19 dashboard (as of January 24, 6:07 a.m.).

Experts expect the number of corona cases to be unreported.

The test capacity and health authorities are increasingly working at the limit.

Corona in Germany: WHO boss Kluge with an amazing March forecast

Update from January 23, 6:32 p.m .:

Although the

variant is significantly more contagious, serious illnesses are less common.

But is the pandemic with this mutation already coming to an end?

The European head of the WHO, Hans Kluge, thinks this is at least possible.

It is “plausible” that Europe is “moving towards the end of the pandemic” with Omikron, the Italian

quoted him as saying

on Sunday.

According to Kluge's analysis, 60 percent of Europeans could become infected by March.

With the new variant, a new phase has been initiated - a phase that could lead to the end of the pandemic.

A woman holds an FFP2 mask on Munich's Marienplatz (symbol image).

© Karl-Josef Hildenbrand

Before MPK: Söder against tightening

Update from January 23, 1:27 p.m

.: In Bavaria, the administrative court overturned the 2G rule in retail.

The 2G rule has also been lifted in Lower Saxony.

Prime Minister Markus Söder spoke out against stricter corona measures before the Corona summit on Monday.

"Bavaria will not support any tightening in the Prime Ministers' Conference, but will adapt the rules in individual places," said Söder of the

.

"We want to enable more participation in culture, in sports and in youth work." Söder emphasized: "Omikron is not Delta, so we cannot transfer the measures 1:1 from one mutation to the other." The decisive one The benchmark is the burden on the health system.

Expert council criticizes thin data situation in Germany

Update from January 23, 11:51 a.m

.: The Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council criticizes that the data situation in the monitoring of the pandemic in Germany is too thin and calls for “urgent measures for improved data collection and digitization”.

Even two years after the beginning of the pandemic, there is still no access to some important, current care data, according to a recent statement by the committee.

The omicron wave amplifies and clarifies the deficit.

"A real-time overview of all available hospital beds with current occupancy, including those outside of intensive care, is urgently needed."

Update from January 23, 10:56 a.m

.: The first city in NRW uses the new Corona test and quarantine regulation.

From Monday (January 24th), Cologne will no longer send anyone into quarantine*.

Incidence rises above 800 - expert council calls for "strict implementation of previous measures"

First report from January 23, 2022

Berlin - The Omicron variant is spreading at a breathtaking pace.

The expert council of the federal government is now calling for preparations for possible further steps.

"The highly dynamic infection process currently requires the maintenance and strict implementation of the previous measures," says a statement published on Saturday evening (January 22).

If, as a result of further increasing incidences*, critical levels are reached, for example in terms of hospital admissions, further infection control measures could become necessary.

"These should therefore now be prepared in such a way that they can be implemented without delay."

Corona case numbers in Germany (as of January 23, 2022)

• The 7-day incidence in Germany is currently 806.4.

• In the past 24 hours, the RKI has recorded 85,440 positive corona tests and 54 deaths.

• According to the RKI, there are currently 1,334,800 active corona cases.

• According to the DIVI intensive care register, there are currently 2,373 Covid 19 patients in an intensive care unit.

  Of these, 1,418 must be artificially ventilated.

Corona in Germany: Too much dynamic in the current wave

Both contact restrictions and booster vaccinations are necessary to slow down the dynamics of the current wave and to protect the health system and critical infrastructure, according to the unanimous recommendation of the 19 council members.

It is therefore important to intensify the booster campaign.

Due to the existing contact reductions and the prudent behavior of the citizens, the internationally observed steep increase in the number of infections in Germany was initially slowed down.

However, the Expert Council expects a further increase.

At the top, 7-day incidences “of several thousand could be reached regionally”.

“Accordingly, if the incidence continues to rise, a large number of hospital admissions are to be expected”

Corona expert advice

The extent of the hospital burden will depend crucially on the incidences in unvaccinated adults and those over 50 years of age.

These are still comparatively low, but infections have been entered in the group of older people.

The hospitalization rate is lower than expected for the Delta variant, but would have to be around 10 times lower than last winter in order to compensate for the expected high number of cases and not to overload the health system.

Such a strong reduction is currently not to be expected despite vaccinations.

Corona vaccination rate in Germany (Source: Impfdashboard.de)

"Accordingly, a large number of hospital admissions can be expected if the incidence continues to rise," writes the committee.

With an increase in basic immunity in the population and a decrease in the number of new infections and hospitalization rates, the contact restrictions should be gradually reduced again.

In the long term, it is urgently necessary "to close the remaining immunity gaps in society through vaccinations, as otherwise strong waves of infection and disease are to be expected cyclically.

Virologist Christian Drosten warns of dangerous mutations - a mixed form of delta and omicron variants could arise.