Is Germany still threatened with the next corona wave in the summer?
Lauterbach is quite cryptic
Created: 06/13/2022 05:04
By: Martina Lippl
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach at a press conference in Berlin (archive photo).
© Chris Emil Janssen/imago
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach strikes a rather unusual tone on Twitter.
With regard to the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5, he seems almost mysterious.
Berlin – Only a few are currently interested in the corona situation in Germany.
Everything seems possible without Corona rules at the moment.
Thousands are celebrating summer at festivals after almost two years of the compulsory Corona break.
FFP-2 masks have almost completely disappeared from the streets.
The Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus has lost its terror for many.
Omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5: Is a corona summer wave rolling towards Germany?
And Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD)?
Does the man who was celebrated and attacked as a warning in the corona pandemic dare to change his image?
With regard to the omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5, which are currently driving up the number of infections in Portugal, the minister is quite relaxed at the moment.
Corona: Lauterbach vaguely tweets about the danger of a summer wave
“There could actually be a summer wave.
It's not certain yet," Lauterbach wrote on Twitter.
That sounds pretty atypical for the SPD politician.
Before these words leave the readers in disbelief, the 59-year-old points to the coming autumn.
However, the word "Corona" does not appear.
“Nevertheless, now is the time to start preparing for the fall.
This has also already started.
An autumn like before the pandemic is not yet realistic.”
Omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 - What is the situation in Germany?
The omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 still play a subordinate role in Germany.
“Currently, the Variant of Concern (VOC) Omikron is the dominant SARS-CoV-2 variant in Germany.
Other variants, such as the VOC Delta and before that the VOC Alpha, have been almost completely suppressed and are currently only very rarely detected,” the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced in its most recent weekly report (June 2, 2022).
Omikron BA.5 share in Germany doubles in one week
According to the RKI, however, the proportion of the omicron variant BA.5 continued to increase and is now 5.2 percent, as has the proportion of BA.4 from 0.6 percent in the previous week to 0.9 percent (calendar week 20 ).
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Week 2022 | delta | Omicron BA.1 | Omicron BA.2 | Omicron BA.4 | Omicron BA.5 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
18 | 0% | 0.6% | 97.6% | 0.3% | 1.2% |
19 | 0% | 0.3% | 96.2% | 0.6% | 2.5% |
20 | 0% | 0.5% | 93.2% | 0.9% | 5.2% |
The virologist Sandra Ciesek assumes that the relatively new omicron subvariants will spread in Germany.
The corona expert shared her views on Omikron BA.4 and BA.5 in a thread on Twitter during a train journey.
"I think BA.4/ BA.5 will also prevail here." Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered are probably not protected from infection with the omicron subvariants, as data from Portugal show.
Especially if a vaccination and an infection were a long time ago.
In her opinion, a fourth vaccination, a booster update, could not only be useful for older people.
Lauterbach on the Corona autumn: “We have to be prepared for virus variants”
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach announced a vaccination campaign for autumn 2022.
Three corona vaccines will then be available to those who want to be vaccinated, including an adapted Omicron vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer and a “bivalent” vaccine from Moderna.
"We have to be prepared for virus variants," emphasized Lauterbach at a press conference in mid-May.
In addition, a new infection protection law is to be introduced.
The state health ministers are calling for masks to be worn indoors and access rules such as 2G and 3G.
The old Infection Protection Act expires on September 23rd.
If a summer wave hits Germany, the federal states could declare themselves hotspots and implement corona measures.
Epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb assumes that the numbers will not increase in autumn, but in the next few weeks.
Corona in Germany: According to the RKI, the incidence is 253.8
The fifth corona wave in Germany continues to ebb.
The incidence is going down.
The RKI reports a value of 253.8 on Sunday (previous day: 270).
Within 24 hours, 3,376 new corona infections were recorded at the RKI.
No deaths were reported.
But the corona numbers are always incomplete at the weekend, and there are also Pentecost holidays.
After a decline of 37 percent compared to the previous week, the decline in incidence is stagnating in the current calendar week, according to the latest RKI weekly report.
However, the RKI leaves open what that could mean.
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