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Corona pandemic: Lauterbach expects hundreds of thousands of new infections per day

2022-01-20T02:19:04.574Z


The health minister says the omicron wave will most likely peak in mid-February. Then there was a threat of several hundred thousand corona cases – per day.


Enlarge image

Minister of Health Lauterbach (archive photo): “I would expect the right load in the intensive care units in mid or late February”

Photo: Emmanuele Contini / imago images / NurPhoto

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) expects several hundred thousand new corona infections a day by mid-February.

With a view to realistic scenarios, it can be assumed “that the wave will peak around mid-February and that we will then have to expect several hundred thousand cases a day,” said Lauterbach on Wednesday evening in the ZDF program “Markus Lanz”.

It is not said that the scenarios will come about, but "they have the greatest probability".

There are countries that could cope with such numbers with a view to the intensive care units.

In Germany, however, the situation is different.

"Since we have a high number of unvaccinated among the elderly in Germany, things can turn out very differently here than in Italy, France or England, for example," said Lauterbach.

In England, for example, the number of unvaccinated people over the age of 50 is one to two percent.

»These are values ​​that we cannot reach«.

Regarding the falling hospitalization rate in Germany despite the currently high number of new infections, Lauterbach said that this was an “irrelevant snapshot” because the wave that is currently running in England and France is still coming in Germany.

"I would expect the right load in the intensive care units in mid or late February, that's still a month away and then I hope it will still look good," said Lauterbach.

"That will be the endurance test, not what we see now."

The Robert Koch Institute reported more than 100,000 new corona infections a day for the first time on Wednesday morning.

The seven-day incidence also reached a new high of 584.4.

Lauterbach also explained in the TV show that he wants to present a regulation on the prioritization of the evaluation of PCR tests at the weekend.

"We need good test rules so that we generally use the PCR tests for those where we have to be absolutely sure that they are either sick or they are healthy again.

The ordinance will come for this at the weekend«.

Employees in sensitive healthcare facilities should then be given preferential treatment.

According to Lauterbach, the draft resolution should be decided at the Prime Ministers' Conference on Monday.

aar/dpa

Source: spiegel

All tech articles on 2022-01-20

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