Corona in Bavaria: Germany's hotspot in the Free State – but the incidence is falling

Germany’s incidence leader is in Bavaria. This also affects the planning of events. All news in the ticker.

Update from February 27, 9.30 a.m .: The corona incidence in Bavaria has fallen slightly again. On Sunday morning, the Robert Koch Institute reported a value of 1,695.3 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in one week for the Free State. The day before it was 1708.2. Nationwide, Bavaria currently has the second highest value for corona incidences after Saxony-Anhalt (1803.5). The nationwide average on Sunday was 1240.3.

Of the ten districts and cities that are most affected in Germany, eight are in Bavaria. At the top is – with a greater distance – the district of Regensburg with 3464.2. The city of Regensburg follows in 5th place with 2682.1.

Corona in Bavaria: Incidence extremely high – but how much significance does it have?

The RKI reported a total of 26,638 new cases in Bavaria. The number of deaths related to the corona virus since the beginning of the pandemic has increased by six to 21,313. The number of cases reported in Bavaria has stagnated at a high level in recent weeks.

Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data. One reason is the limited capacity of health authorities, for example, and contacts are often only tracked to a limited extent. In addition, according to the ALM laboratory association, there is now a larger number of people whose infection is no longer confirmed by a PCR test – these infections are therefore not included in the official statistics.

Corona pandemic casts shadows on culture: Bayreuth Festival with emergency planning

Meanwhile, the corona pandemic continues to have an impact on the planning of major events, such as the Bayreuth Festival. The organizers have planned some innovations in the schedule. The festival openly admits that the whole thing was planned differently despite the top-class cast and is an emergency solution: “In the event of an infection, the performance should still be maintained.” Without the new version of “Tristan und Isolde”, the directors Roland Schwab and Conductor Cornelius Meister should perform, there is a risk of gaps in the schedule if the corona pandemic really hits again in the summer.

Despite further difficulties that are also associated with the pandemic, the Minister for Art and Science Bernd Sibler (CSU), who has since been dismissed by Söder, was optimistic about one thing: the festival could probably take place again in front of a fully occupied house. In the previous year, only 50 percent of the audience capacity was allowed.

Bavaria and Austria want to work more closely together on Long Covid

Update from February 25, 4:08 p.m .: Not only Markus Söder had cultivated Bavaria’s relationship with the neighboring state with his visit to Vienna. Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek also paid a visit to the Alpine Republic. Among other things, the fight against Long Covid was discussed. The two countries agreed that they wanted to work more closely together here. “I am convinced that we can learn a lot from each other. We not only rely on interdisciplinary, but also on international cooperation. The aim is for people to find good therapy – whether in Bavaria or Austria,” said Holetschek.

Furthermore: “The virus does not stop at national borders – and the long-term consequences of a Covid infection also affect patients in Austria and Bavaria equally. That’s why we agreed today that we would exchange targeted information on this clinical picture.” Bavaria is already funding six long-Covid research projects. Unfortunately, an infection does not always result in a return to everyday life.

Update from February 25, 3:21 p.m .: According to Health Minister Klaus Holetschek, the Novavax corona vaccine should be available in Bavaria’s vaccination centers in the middle of next week – but initially only for healthcare workers. These could “immediately” make an appointment with their local vaccination center, said the CSU politician on Friday in Munich. However, several municipalities such as the cities of Munich and Regensburg announced that appointment bookings for a vaccination with the vaccine called Nuvaxovid would only be released later.

Corona in Bavaria: Novavax vaccine is coming – but only for one group for the time being

The Ministry of Health announced that those who are not affected by the partial vaccination requirement for employees that will apply from March 15 can only be vaccinated with Nuvaxovid in a second step. A specific time for this was not initially mentioned.

“Since the delivery quantity is initially limited, we are first making it available to all those who professionally take care of the particularly vulnerable groups,” said Holetschek. He very much hopes that people who have previously refused vaccination with mRNA vaccines can be vaccinated with Nuvaxovid, which is based on a more traditional method.

Corona news in Bavaria: Incidence continues to descend

First report from February 25, 2:30 p.m.: Munich – The dismay at the war in Ukraine is great. In Bavaria, numerous people took to the streets to protest against Russia’s invasion. Markus Söder expressed his horror at the war situation in a press statement. You can follow all reactions from Bavaria to the Ukraine conflict in our ticker.

According to data from Friday, the increase in corona infections in Bavaria was weaker than the day before. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 39,090 new cases. That is almost 15,600 fewer than on Thursday, when there was a very high number of late registrations in some municipalities. The nationwide seven-day incidence* fell from around 1,804 to 1,717, but is still well above the national average of almost 1,260.

(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you about all the important stories from Bavaria. Register here.)

Corona in Bavaria: Germany’s leader continues to be in the Upper Palatinate

The RKI reported the highest infection rate nationwide on Friday for the district of Regensburg * with an incidence of around 3522, this time followed by the district of Donau-Ries (3060) and the district of Lichtenfels (2774). The district of Freyung-Grafenau (2727) is also ranked fourth in Germany.

The number of seriously ill corona patients in the intensive care units rose from 389 on the previous day to 392. Since the end of January there has also been an upward trend in the intensive care units, but not continuously.

Corona bonus in care: Bavarian hospital society angry – “It’s unfair”

The Bavarian Hospital Society (BKG) is disappointed by the planned implementation of the Corona bonus for employees in the care sector. “Too low in height, unfair in implementation and unsuccessful in effect,” summarized Managing Director Roland Engehausen in a statement on Thursday.

It is undisputed that the pandemic challenges were particularly stressful, especially in the intensive care units. For those working there, a significant and sustainable salary increase and tax exemption from allowances would be necessary, emphasized Engehausen. Otherwise, the patients would be cared for in “real teamwork”, in which “at the peak of the pandemic management” all hospital employees “would have faced the immense challenge”.

Video: “Bad joke” & “grotesque”: Mega criticism of the Corona care bonus

“We therefore criticize the unequal treatment. It cannot be that – unlike in geriatric care – only the employees of selected clinics should benefit from the care bonus. That’s unfair,” said Engehausen. “The legislature is making it a bit too easy for itself to save money.” Against this background, the head of the BKG called on Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) to make improvements.

Lauterbach wants to limit the planned nursing bonus to a certain group of nursing staff*. “The nursing bonus should be paid primarily to nursing staff who were particularly stressed in the corona pandemic,” he told the editorial network Germany (RND). (tkip/dpa)

List of rubrics: © Patrick Pleul/dpa-Zentralbild/ZB/Archive image