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Corona test (in Hagen, archive picture)
Photo: INA FASSBENDER / AFP
Omikron has meanwhile arrived in all federal states.
Even if the vast majority of infections are still caused by the delta variant of the coronavirus, the number of detected omicron cases has increased significantly in recent weeks.
This is what the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports in its weekly report.
“The outbreaks at Omikron are impressive,” said RKI President Lothar Wieler to the editorial network in Germany: “A lot of people who are infected with someone in a room can become infected.
A lot of them also get sick. «This is a different dimension than what Delta has known so far.
Delta has been the predominant coronavirus variant in Germany for months.
According to the RKI, 441 Omicron infections had been transmitted by December 21, which were confirmed by genome sequencing.
According to a specific PCR test, it is suspected in 1438 cases.
In Germany, however, only a small part of the positive samples are specifically tested for Omikron.
As emerged from the RKI data from Friday morning, the health authorities in Germany reported 35,431 new corona infections to the institute within one day.
The nationwide seven-day incidence fell again compared to the previous day.
The RKI gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week at 265.8 - the day before it was 280.3.
Mild courses, nevertheless more intensive care patients
On the Omikron variant, the RKI wrote in its weekly report published on Thursday evening: "Previous reporting data on symptoms indicate rather mild courses in infected people with a full vaccination or booster vaccination." According to the institute, information on the symptoms was transmitted for more than 1200 cases.
Mostly none or mild symptoms were mentioned, the most common colds, coughs and sore throats.
So far, according to the RKI weekly report, 28 Covid sufferers, in whom Omikron was detected, came to the hospital, and one person has demonstrably died.
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However, experts have always emphasized that with the expected high number of infected people in the course of the rapid spread of the omicron, a large number of people will become more seriously ill at the same time and will have to be treated in hospital.
Wieler warned on Wednesday that the health system would be overloaded and that critical care structures would be impaired if the Omikron wave could not be slowed down with strict measures.
In an interview with the "Süddeutsche Zeitung", the virologist Christian Drosten said when asked whether a lockdown was needed in Germany, it was necessary to wait and see "whether and how the measures that were now in force and were followed up again would work." If the contact restrictions do not work as hoped, one could, in Drosten's view, consider restrictions to which only people who have already been boosted have access - what he referred to as "1G".
Twice vaccinated people are protected from severe courses even with Omikron, "but practically not against infection," said the virologist from the Berlin Charité.
The virus transmission in the event of infection is also hardly reduced.
“But those who have recently been boosted are likely to contribute less to the spread and are noticeably protected against the disease.
At Delta, 2G and 3G may be enough, but now Omikron is writing the rules. "
him / dpa
