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Coronavirus news on October 21: contact restrictions and follow-up in winter are crucial

2020-10-21T00:18:51.001Z


Two factors become particularly important in the fight against Corona in the cold season. Protesters burn masks in Bulgaria. And: Brazil has over 23,000 new infections. The overview.


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Also in winter: keep your distance

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Virologist Ciesek: Two factors determine how we get through the winter

1:50 a.m.:

According to the Frankfurt virologist Sandra Ciesek, how well Germany gets through the winter in the corona pandemic depends primarily on two factors: "One is the public health service - how does the follow-up work," she said on Tuesday in NDR podcast "Coronavirus Update": "If the health authorities no longer manage this, then it will lead to this famous tipping point and the dynamics of the spreading could change suddenly."

"The other important component is of course the contact restriction - that is, our behavior," said the director of the Institute for Medical Virology at the Frankfurt University Hospital, who takes turns on the podcast every week with the Berlin virologist Christian Drosten.

"We make it much more difficult for the health department when we have many contact persons."

Ciesek also thinks it is important not to let up when testing.

"If you only test the symptomatic, it would progress faster. I don't think that's a good idea."

Ciesek thinks little of the ban on accommodation or travel restrictions, which have now been overturned almost everywhere.

Restricting mobility is "not really sensible" because the virus has already spread everywhere.

According to Ciesek, there is no need to be too afraid of potentially contaminated surfaces.

Smear infections played "a minor role" in the transmission.

The fact that the coronavirus can survive on surfaces in the cold for weeks is only true "under laboratory conditions"; the results of a recently published study cannot be "transferred to our lives".

More than 23,000 new infections in Brazil

1 a.m.:

The corona virus continues to spread in Brazil.

The Ministry of Health reported 23,227 new infections.

This increases the total number of infections to just under 5.3 million.

The number of deaths rose by 661 to 154,837 within 24 hours.

Brazil has the highest number of infections and deaths in the coronavirus pandemic after the US and India.

Bulgaria: Protesters burn masks

00.30 a.m.:

In Bulgaria protesters reacted angrily to the reintroduction of the mask requirement outdoors.

Protective masks were demonstratively burned at a demonstration in the center of the capital Sofia.

Shortly before, in view of the sharply rising corona numbers, wearing protective masks outdoors was made mandatory again from Thursday.

The goal is to reduce the number of new cases and to relieve the hospital staff, said Health Minister Kostadin Angelow on Tuesday.

The measure, which is highly controversial among critics, is initially to apply until the end of November.

Local and fitness centers remain open, but should be checked for compliance with the corona requirements, the minister said.

In Bulgaria, too, the number of new corona infections has recently risen massively.

In the south-eastern European country with 6.9 million inhabitants, a new high was recorded on Tuesday with 1024 new corona cases.

A total of 12,366 people are currently infected.

A week ago it was 8099.

Incidence increases, R value decreases

00:05 a.m.:

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the health authorities in Germany counted 6868 new corona infections within 24 hours on Tuesday morning.

"Currently, an accelerated increase in the number of transmissions can be observed in Germany," the RKI now writes in its management report: "It is therefore urgently requested that the entire population should be committed to infection protection."

The RKI also includes rules of distance and hygiene outdoors, indoor ventilation and, where necessary, mouth and nose covering.

The seven-day incidence - the number of new corona infections per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days - has risen to 48.6 on a national average.

According to the RKI situation report on Tuesday, the number of reproductions, or R value for short, was 1.25 (previous day: 1.35) in Germany.

This means that ten infected people infect an average of 12 to 13 other people.

The R-value depicts the infection rate about one and a half weeks beforehand.

In addition, the RKI gives a so-called seven-day R in its management report.

The value relates to a longer period and is therefore less subject to daily fluctuations.

According to RKI estimates, this value is now 1.23 (previous day: 1.25).

It shows the infection process from 8 to 16 days ago.

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ptz / dpa / AFP / Reuters / AP

Source: spiegel

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