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Corona test in Thuringia
Photo: Martin Schutt / dpa
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Lauterbach speaks out in favor of suspending all vaccine patents
4.20 a.m.:
The SPD health expert, Karl Lauterbach, speaks out in the debate about easing the patent protection of corona vaccines for license productions in other countries.
"Unlike parts of the federal government, I am firmly convinced that all patents for corona vaccines must now be temporarily suspended," said the politician of the "Rheinische Post".
The temporary suspension of patents is urgently required as a humanitarian duty, because otherwise vaccines from the USA or Europe would not arrive quickly enough in India as well as African and South American countries.
Spahn sees an opportunity for problem-free summer holidays in EU countries
3:05 a.m.:
Federal Health
Minister
Jens Spahn (CDU) sees good chances for a problem-free summer vacation in the EU countries in view of the current development in the corona pandemic.
"Traveling within the EU will probably not depend on the vaccination," said Spahn of the "Rheinische Post".
"You will also be able to move around Europe well with the tests."
He himself is planning his vacation in Germany.
"In this hopefully last phase of the pandemic, I would not plan any major long-distance trips, the North Sea instead of the South Sea," said the Minister.
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Jens Spahn
Photo: ANNEGRET HILSE / AP
With a view to openings, Spahn urged a prudent approach.
"If you open too quickly, you will stumble over the previous success." Therefore, when opening, you should start outside first: outdoor catering, open-air events, zoos or even sporting events with a reduced number of visitors - "and of course always with distance and hygiene," said Spahn.
Medical president calls for young people to be vaccinated quickly
1:40 a.m.:
The President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, calls on the federal government to vaccinate young people as soon as possible.
"As long as there is not yet enough vaccine available, we should include the young people in the third prioritization group in order to achieve a swift vaccination," Reinhardt told the editorial network.
Due to the falling number of infections, the opening of schools, universities and training centers has priority.
The medical president also pointed out that the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer already has EU approval for 16 and 17-year-olds.
There are still 750 corona deaths in New York refrigerated trucks
0.55 a.m.:
At the height of the corona pandemic in New York, pictures of refrigerated trucks for thousands of corpses went around the world.
A year later, there are still 750 Covid dead in the trucks, as the office of the highest forensic doctor in the US east coast metropolis confirmed on Friday on request.
The refrigerated trucks were set up for long-term use in his time to ensure that families can bury their relatives in peace.
"We continue to work with individual families on a case-by-case basis with sensitivity and compassion during their grief," said spokesman Mark Desire.
The spokesman confirmed media reports about the trucks parked in a parking lot in Brooklyn.
In the coming weeks and months, they should therefore be gradually emptied.
In the spring of 2020, New York's Covid death toll had risen to hundreds a day, far exceeding the city's capacity.
more on the subject
Finally eating, partying and quarreling together again?: My life as a vaccinated person in New YorkBy Marc Pitzke, New York
More victims than wars and 9/11: New York is commemorating its more than 30,000 corona deaths
The city then used the vans at hospitals - the images became a symbol of the corona outbreak in the metropolis.
Many of the dead were anonymously buried on an island in the East River.
In the meantime, the situation in New York has clearly improved: thanks to falling infections and an advancing vaccination campaign, the metropolis wants to lift almost all restrictions on its citizens in May.
cop / AFP / dpa / Reuters