Munich: Expert explains drastically increasing incidence - Mayor Reiter goes to the federal and state governments

Created: 01/28/2022, 10:06 am

By: Klaus Vick, Martina Williams

Afraid of infection?

Few visitors are downtown © Marcus sleep

For a long time, Munich was rather mediocre – now the number of corona infections is increasing rapidly: the seven-day incidence on Thursday was 1830!

Experts explain the reasons for this.

Munich - The incidence in this city of 1830 is the third highest value in Bavaria after Dachau (2112) and Rosenheim (1835).

Districts like Coburg and Hof, on the other hand, have less than 500. Why is that?

A local virologist comments: "The problem is, on the one hand, the low vaccination rates in Munich," explains Prof. Franz-Xaver Reichl, representative for the biological safety of bacteria and viruses at the Ludwig-Maximilians-University (LMU).

The number is 71.8 percent for the first vaccinations, 69 percent for the second vaccinations and only 40.5 percent for the third vaccinations.

Reichl: "Because the immune protection decreases after the second vaccination, the booster vaccination is so important - and 40 percent is clearly not enough for that!" Many people are frustrated by this.

"Some masks are no longer worn and contact restrictions are ignored," says Reichl.

This can also be seen in demos, like on Wednesday, when thousands of Corona opponents protested on Königsplatz.

"This allows the virus to spread easily."

Regular, free of charge and always up-to-date: We put together all the news and stories from Munich and deliver them to you free of charge by e

.

Sign up now!

Munich: More and more corona patients in the normal wards

The fact that the number of patients is currently increasing in the normal wards in the clinics, but not in the intensive care units, is due to Omikron and its milder clinical picture: "Fewer people need intensive care treatment, but they still come to the hospital with a high fever."

Franz-Xaver Reichl, Professor at the LMU © Marcus Schlaf

But: The number of intensive care patients could rise again quickly – for example with new mutations.

Reichl: "Studies show that viruses stay longer in unvaccinated people than in vaccinated people." The longer a virus remains in the body unmolested, the higher the probability that it will mutate.

"It's the same all over the world." The outlook is worrying: "The omicron variant is currently doubling within two to three days.

Compulsory vaccination is needed to get the pandemic under control.”

Around 80 patients with corona symptoms * Dr.

Wolfgang Ritter tested alone on Wednesday.

"Half have Covid-19, that makes 40 new corona patients in just one day," says the general practitioner of the group practice, Dr.

Grassl.

Demand for vaccines has dropped significantly.

"This may be due to the patients' perception that omicron is not that dangerous," says the doctor.

"We are currently vaccinating around 250 patients per week." In December it was over a hundred a day.

The fact that the numbers are exploding in Munich in particular, but not in some districts, is due to Omikron.

"The variant is much more contagious, which is reflected in urban areas, as more people come together in smaller spaces," explains the board member of the Bavarian Association of General Practitioners.

"This can be seen in all major German cities."

Munich: The city does not want any new tightening of the rules

The health department also knows that Omikron drastically exacerbates the infection process.

Nevertheless, health officer Beatrix Zurek finds: "The rules in the area of ​​public life should initially be left as is, as long as there are no signs of overloading our health system." But in view of the many infections, it is becoming more difficult to trace infection chains.

Zurek therefore appeals to everyone to isolate themselves if they show signs of illness and to inform those around them.

And: “Please take advantage of our vaccination offers.

In doing so, they protect themselves and others.”

Mayor Dieter Reiter* looks at the number of infections with concern.

"Only through a high vaccination rate can we slow down the spread of Corona and the formation of more and more new variants and hopefully end it at some point." has made possible – there are very good hygiene concepts here in particular.”

Corona policy and the contradiction: Reiter criticizes the federal and state governments

Reiter has been criticizing the crisis management of the Federal Government and the Free State for a long time: “Precluding compulsory vaccination and then wanting to introduce it after all does not create trust.

Neither science nor politics can make precise predictions about how the pandemic will develop - one should be honest enough to call it that."

Mayor Katrin Habenschaden also doesn't believe in new tightening "as long as the hospitals are not overloaded".

On the other hand, she is annoyed by the difficult situation for children and parents: "What is happening in the schools is sometimes appalling.

Results of PCR tests come too late, quarantine rules change several times a week, families are in permanent quarantine at home, and more and more children are falling ill.

In year three of the pandemic, children and parents are once again the victims.”

The current Corona situation proved to be too uncertain for public fairs: In addition to the Munich Auto Days, a popular travel fair was also canceled.