RKI lowers corona risk assessment – ​​but Wieler puts it into perspective: “Of course, the pandemic is not over”

Created: 05/11/2022, 04:48 am

By: Patrick Huljina

The RKI has adjusted its risk assessment of the corona situation in Germany.

According to Lothar Wieler, however, this is no reason to give the all-clear.

Berlin – The corona numbers in Germany are falling.

While the nationwide seven-day incidence was well over 1000 just a few weeks ago, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value on Friday morning (May 6) as 553.2.

The situation seems to be easing.

In its new weekly report, the RKI explains that the number of Covid 19 patients in intensive care units has also continued to fall.

The number of deaths related to the corona virus has also decreased.

The RKI has therefore lowered its risk assessment of the current corona situation in Germany.

The authority now assesses the current risk from Covid-19 to the health of the population as “high” overall, instead of “very high” as before.

Corona: RKI lowers risk assessment – ​​Wieler makes it clear: “Of course, the pandemic is not over”

"No, of course the pandemic is not over," said RKI President Lothar Wieler on Friday at a congress of the

on the topic "Have the dangers of the Covid 19 pandemic been averted?" The authors of the RKI also -Wochenbericht warned: "The infection pressure remains high with almost 600,000 Covid 19 cases transmitted to the RKI within the last week."

Three factors are decisive for the new risk assessment of the RKI, explained Wieler: the infection dynamics, the severity of the disease and the burden on the health system.

"And all these signals are positive," said the 61-year-old.

Recommendations would have to adapt to the situation.

It is now okay to implement some measures less stringently than at the beginning of the pandemic.

"Not just because we're tired, but because we all know how to protect ourselves and how to deal with the risk better," said the RKI boss.

"The pandemic is not over yet," clarifies RKI boss Lothar Wieler.

(Archive image) © Carsten Koall/dpa

Corona in Germany: Stiko boss recommends fourth vaccination for certain groups

In its new weekly report, the RKI also makes it clear that the corona vaccination has still “not lost its importance due to its high protective effect against a severe course even in diseases caused by the omicron variant”.

The chairman of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) Thomas Mertens again emphasized the benefits of a fourth vaccination for people over 70 years of age and other people at particular risk of developing a serious course of the disease.

"We have to expect that the risk of infection will increase again in autumn," Mertens told the newspapers of the

.

He therefore called on the groups to use the time now to improve their protection with a fourth vaccination.

"You shouldn't wait for a vaccine adapted to the omicron variant to come," he warned.

Corona: Omicron subvariant BA.2 continues to grow – BA4.

and BA.5 not yet relevant

According to the latest data, the omicron subvariant BA.2, which has been dominating in Germany for weeks, has recently increased again.

According to a sample from the week before last, their share was almost 98 percent, writes the RKI in the new weekly report.

According to the data, the relatively new omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 play only a minor role with less than one percent.

With a view to the further course of the corona pandemic, the report again points out that the development depends above all on whether large parts of the population behave prudently and considerately and implement the known recommendations for infection protection.

"Currently, seasonal effects are also helping to reduce transmission," the authors write against the background of rising temperatures and increased outdoor activity.

In addition, experts are currently assuming that there are many unrecorded corona cases - due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done.

Only these count in the statistics.