Corona: A federal state already wants to declare the pandemic over - and then rows back

Created: 2022-03-25 04:51

By: Patrick Huljina, Christina Denk

The RKI reported new corona record values ​​for new infections on Thursday morning - also for the entire week.

One federal state is still demanding the end of the pandemic.

The news ticker.

• The RKI reports 1.5 million cases in one week for the first time

  (see update from March 24, 8:45 p.m.)

  .

• Baden-Württemberg calls for the official end of the pandemic - but quickly rows back

  (see update from March 24, 6:40 p.m. and 7:13 p.m.)

  .

• The hospitalization rate is currently 7.28

  (see update from March 24, 1:03 p.m.)

  .

• The RKI gives the Corona * incidence on Thursday at 1752.

  (see first report)

• This news ticker on Corona* in Germany is updated regularly.

EMA recommends approval for Astrazeneca drug

Update from March 24, 10:20 p.m.:

Evusheld: The European Medicines Agency EMA has recommended the approval of a corona drug from Astrazeneca.

It is intended to protect high-risk patients who cannot be vaccinated from infection.

The Committee for Human Medicine recommends marketing approval for Evusheld "for the prevention of Covid-19 in adults and adolescents aged 12 and over and weighing 40 kilograms or more," said the Amsterdam-based authority on Thursday.

Evusheld consists of two synthetic antibodies that can dock to different sides of the coronavirus spike protein.

When making its decision, the EMA referred to a study with 5,000 adults in which the risk of infection was reduced by 77 percent after receiving two doses of the vaccine.

According to the EMA, the protection lasted at least six months, and the side effects were “generally minor”.

However, the study predated the advent of the omicron variant.

The EMA has issued a recommendation for the astrazeneca drug Evusheld.

© Chris Sweda/Imago

EMA's recommendation will now be forwarded to the European Commission for final approval.

The EMA had already started testing Evusheld in October.

RKI reports 1.5 million infections in one week for the first time

Update from March 24, 8:45 p.m .:

The Corona numbers are currently back on record course.

In its weekly report, the RKI also reports 1.5 million Covid 19 cases in one week for the first time.

"The nationwide 7-day incidence increased again by 10 percent compared to the previous week," according to the report.

The increase in the 7-day incidence covered all age groups.

The younger age groups between 5 and 44 years continue to be particularly hard hit, with incidences of between 2,000 and 3,000 COVID-19 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

However, the key figure rose particularly strongly among the 75-79 year olds (approx. 25 percent compared to the previous week).

The number of cases in medical treatment facilities as well as old people's and nursing homes has also increased further.

According to the RKI, the increase is due to “easier transferability of subline BA.2, as well as the withdrawal of contact-reducing measures and changed behavior in the population.”

Omicron subtype dominates infection - RKI appeals to risk groups

The omicron variant is again the dominant species this week. All others, including delta, are under one percent.

The omicron subtype BA.2 accounts for 72 percent of the infection process.

There are no indications of different severity of the disease between BA.1 and BA.2.

The RKI points out that not every individual case can be recorded.

However, the reporting data provide a good overview of the overall development of the pandemic situation.

Due to its high effectiveness against a severe course, vaccination has not lost its importance in diseases caused by the omicron variant.

Robert Koch Institute

In particular, risk groups and people over the age of 70 called on the RKI to protect themselves against a serious illness with a second booster vaccination, in accordance with the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission - which had already been pronounced at the beginning of February.

According to the report, around 1.67 million people have made use of it so far.

"Due to its high effectiveness against a severe course, the vaccination has not lost its importance even in diseases caused by the omicron variant," emphasized the RKI.

Baden-Württemberg Minister calls for the end of the pandemic - Kretschmann's distancing follows promptly

Update from March 24, 7:13 p.m .:

Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann has distanced himself from the demand from his Social Affairs Minister Manne Lucha for an early end to the pandemic situation.

When asked whether Lucha's letter to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was coordinated with Kretschmann, a government spokesman said on Thursday evening to the dpa in Stuttgart: "No, he wasn't." Lucha partially backtracked in the evening after he left the green black coalition had received further pressure.

"We explicitly do not declare the pandemic over," said a ministry spokesman.

"There is no change in strategy in terms of protective measures."

Update from March 24, 6.40 p.m .:

Baden-Württemberg wants to officially declare the pandemic over after more than two years.

In a letter to Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), Stuttgart Social Affairs Minister Manne Lucha (Greens) demanded that the federal government should herald the change from the pandemic to the endemic phase at the end of April.

Then the season of respiratory diseases will be over.

Such a decision would have far-reaching consequences: the corona virus would be classified like the flu virus.

There would be practically no more tests and no mandatory quarantine for those who tested positive and who were sick.

As a reason for the early declaration of the endemic phase, Lucha stated that the health authorities no longer had any influence on the outbreak due to the rapid spread of the omicron variant.

What fits: The country will massively reduce its vaccination offer at the end of next week due to a lack of demand

.

Update from March 24, 5:23 p.m

.: No masks and no fourth vaccination for everyone?

Once again, Prof. Dr.

Hendrik Streeck for a more pragmatic approach to the corona pandemic. 

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania now Corona hotspot

Update from March 24, 2:40 p.m

.: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania wants to stick to the corona protection regulations beyond April 2nd.

On Thursday, the state parliament in Schwerin approved a motion by the red-red state government, according to which all six districts and the two independent cities of Rostock and Schwerin are classified as so-called hotspots.

This means that the mask requirement in indoor areas and the test requirement for unvaccinated people when visiting restaurants will remain in effect until April 27th.

However, it should be checked whether, in the interests of the tourism industry, the 3G rule for hotels and restaurants can be lifted before the start of the Easter travel season (April 17).

The RKI gives the hospitalization rate as 7.28 – this is the situation in the intensive care units

Update from March 24, 1:03 p.m

.: The pressure on the intensive care units is still high.

2,288 Covid-19 patients currently have to be treated in intensive care.

Of these, 884 must be artificially ventilated.

This emerges from the data of the DIVI intensive care register on Thursday (as of 11:06 a.m.).

The day before there were a total of 2,335 Covid 19 cases.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) puts the hospitalization incidence at 7.28 (Tuesday: 7.08).

In the age group from 60 years the value is 16.37.

Not all patients with a positive corona test were hospitalized for Covid symptoms.

Corona: Many patients in the hospital are tested positive for Corona.

© Marijan Murat/dpa

NDR: The hospitalization rate usually massively underestimates the development of the pandemic

However, the hospitalization rate does not reflect the actual situation in the hospitals, criticize experts.

Many hospital admissions are reported late.

"The values ​​massively underestimate the seriousness of the situation," reports the NDR.

The situation in northern Germany is much worse than the official figures show.

Hamburg, for example, would be particularly affected.

Here the reports would clearly lag behind.

The RKI gives the most recent hospitalization rate as 3.4.

According to scientific calculations by the NDR, the value would be between 6.6 and 10.3.

 "Deltakron" - experts speak out against this designation

Update from March 24,

12:40 p.m .: Reports of “Deltakron” cases are piling up.

The World Health Organization (WHO) is observing a so-called recombinant consisting of one subtype each of delta (AY.4) and omicron (BA.1).

The abbreviation is XD.

According to the RKI, there has been one confirmed case in Germany so far.

Corona experts consider the term "Deltakron" to be of little use.

The Frankfurt virologist Sandra Ciesek is also bothered by it*.

Baden-Württemberg will massively reduce vaccination offers from April 1st

Update from March 24, 12:32 p.m .:

Baden-Württemberg will massively reduce its vaccination offer on April 1 due to a lack of demand.

Initially, there should only be one mobile vaccination team and one base per city and district.

After the Greens and CDU factions, the government also approved the proposal from the Ministry of Social Affairs on Thursday.

So far there have been about 350 mobile teams and 135 vaccination centers funded by the state.

The coalition is convinced that the remaining structure will make it possible to react flexibly should the pandemic escalate dramatically.

The country also wants to offer vaccinations to refugees from Ukraine.

If necessary, an additional ten mobile units are to be used for this purpose.

The new vaccination concept, which above all reduces high costs, is to be reviewed by the end of May.

Then it should be clarified whether one vaccination unit is sufficient for two urban or rural districts.

In addition, one could then decide whether one can reduce the ten vaccination teams for Ukrainian refugees to five.

Germany: Corona vaccination rate continues to decrease

Update from March 24, 12:15 p.m .:

The pace of vaccinations against the corona virus continues to decrease in Germany.

Only 60,000 doses of vaccine were administered across the country on Wednesday, according to RKI data.

There are usually a few more late registrations.

On Wednesday a week ago there were around 82,000 vaccinations, two weeks earlier there were more than 100,000.

At least 63.1 million people (75.9 percent of the total population) have now received basic protection, which usually requires two injections.

At least 48.6 million people (58.4 percent) also received a booster vaccination.

19.5 million people (23.5 percent) have not yet been vaccinated.

So far, however, no vaccine has been approved for 4.0 million (4.8 percent) of them because they are four years old or younger.

Corona in Germany: Verdi speaks out against lifting the mask requirement

Update from March 24, 9.30

a.m .: The Verdi services union has spoken out against lifting the mask requirement in retail.

"We are critical of the lifting of the mask requirement in the current situation given the high number of infections, especially for everything that happens in public spaces, i.e. also for trade," said Stefanie Nutzberger, member of the Verdi federal board responsible for trade, to the newspapers of the

.

She also sees companies as having a duty: "It's not just about sales, it's about how best to protect employees and customers." Many employees would be very worried.

"You have literally kept the shop running for two years during the pandemic and have the right to be protected and to get through the pandemic well and healthy," warned Nutzberger.

Corona in Germany: RKI reports more than 300,000 new infections for the first time

First report from March 24th:

Berlin – The omicron wave in Germany continues to roll and ensures new highs.

For the first time in the pandemic, more than 300,000 new infections with the corona virus * were transmitted to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within one day.

According to the RKI, the health authorities reported 318,387 cases in 24 hours on Thursday morning.

A week ago there were 294,931 new infections recorded.

The nationwide seven-day incidence * was given by the RKI at 1752.0 – this is also a high.

For comparison: the day before the value was 1734.2.

A week ago, the incidence was 1651.4 (previous month: 1265.0).

Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data.

One reason is the limited capacity of health authorities, for example, and contacts are often only tracked to a limited extent.

According to the RKI*, 300 deaths were recorded within one day across Germany.

The number of corona-infected patients who came to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days - the so-called hospitalization incidence - was given by the RKI on Wednesday at 7.23 (Tuesday: 7.08).

However, these also include people with a positive corona test who have another main disease.

High corona numbers: absence of teachers - schools at the limit

In view of the high Corona numbers *, education unions warn that schools are reaching their breaking point.

"The corona-related absence of teachers is currently hitting schools hard," said Anja Bensinger-Stolze, board member of the Education and Science Union (GEW), the

.

Schools have to do without more and more teachers due to the high corona numbers.

(Iconic image) © Bernd Weißbrod/dpa

"The number of sick leave will continue to rise in the coming weeks because the corona protection measures are to be largely dropped or have already been cashed in," she warned.

This is a wrong political decision.

Bensinger-Stolze emphasized: "We appeal to all political leaders to adhere to the mask requirement as well as to hygiene and test concepts so that the situation does not get out of hand.

The teachers are already working at the limit.”

The chairman of the Education and Training Association (VBE), Udo Beckmann, told the

: "The dynamics of the omicron variant ensure an increasingly dramatic infection process in schools and increased absences from teachers due to their own infections and quarantine." This reinforces the vicious circle that the remaining teachers who are not ill are increasingly burdened.

"Every day in the schools we feel how much it is taking revenge now more than ever that politicians have for years refused the schools the staffing that they would have needed and need to fulfill their tasks," complained Beckmann.