Corona in Germany: federal state takes a big step towards opening up – demos in the country against corona politics

Hamburg relaxes. The corona numbers in Germany continue to fall. Pediatricians are calling for the mask requirement to be abolished in schools. The news ticker.

Update from February 19, 9:26 p.m .: Opponents of the Corona policy in Germany took to the streets not only in Frankfurt am Main. People also met again in some other cities to protest against the measures. According to the police, there were around 4,500 people in Freiburg, Baden-Württemberg. 7,000 people were registered in Reutlingen, a few thousand were on the road according to dpa information, the police have not yet given any more precise information. In Düsseldorf and Augsburg, too, people vented their anger about the Corona policy. However, the police did not report any major incidents during the demonstrations.

Mayors draw attention to increasing attacks by Corona opponents

Update from February 19, 4:51 p.m .: Around 3,500 people demonstrated against the corona protective measures in Frankfurt am Main. Only around 1,000 people were announced, and the police reported a “quiet course” despite the three times higher number of participants.

27 mayors from all over Germany are now pointing out attacks by radical opponents of the Corona policy. In the public letter, which is available to Business Insider , they report “unacceptable” incidents, such as torchlight processions in front of private homes, death threats, insults and damage to property. Among other things, the cases of Christof Bolay, mayor of Ostfildern (Baden-Württemberg) and Manfred Wagner, mayor of the Hessian city of Wetzlar, who both received death threats, are specified. The public letter was suggested by the “Network of Young Mayors”, which claims to have around 650 members.

Update from February 19, 12:09 p.m .: Relax corona measures or not? The result of a survey on “Freedom Day” is surprising.

Corona loosening: Hamburg lifts curfew

Update from February 19, 11:35 a.m .: Hamburg lifts the curfew. The gastro can remain open after 11 p.m. In addition, the ban on alcohol sales after 10 p.m. is no longer applicable today. However, open drinks may still not be sold to take away, the Hamburg Senate clarifies.

Those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered can meet again in unlimited numbers. In private, there is no longer a limit on the number of participants, the authority announced. In museums, parks and archives, all visitors aged 14 and over must wear an FFP2 mask. A medical mask is mandatory from the age of 6 years. Further opening steps are to follow.

Pediatricians are calling for an end to testing in schools

Update from February 19, 8.49 a.m .: The professional association of paediatricians calls for the obligation to carry out corona tests in schools to be lifted and the mask requirement to be checked.

“We are now in a situation in which older age groups can protect themselves through vaccinations, so schools and daycare centers must remain open regardless of the infection process,” said federal spokesman Jakob Maske to the editorial network Germany (RND). “There should also be no unprovoked testing in schools and daycare centers, and the obligation to wear masks should be reconsidered in the near future.”

The doctor also advocated that 2G rules – i.e. access only for vaccinated or recovered people – should only apply to people over the age of 18. In the past, politicians have repeatedly made decisions that did not take the best interests of the child into account. “This has led to severe psychological impairments, but also to a significant increase in social differences.”

7-day incidence drops to 1,350.4

Update from February 19, 8:29 a.m .: The nationwide 7-day incidence has fallen again. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the value on Saturday is 1,350.4. A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 1474.3 (previous month: 584.4). The health authorities in Germany reported 189,105 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. A week ago there were 209,789 cases of infection. In the past 24 hours, 210 deaths have been recorded at the RKI. In the previous week there were 198 deaths.

The RKI gives the hospitalization incidence on Friday at 6.24 (Thursday: 5.97). Among them are many people with a positive corona test who have another main illness.

There are currently 2,370 Covid 19 patients in the intensive care units in Germany. Of these, 1,152 must be artificially ventilated. This emerges from the data of the DIVI intensive care register on Saturday. The number has been rising since the beginning of February and has been hovering at this high level ever since.

Corona in Germany: omicron subtype BA.2 is increasing – useless vaccine vaccinated on dozens of people

Update from February 18, 10:28 p.m .: The head of the World Health Organization (WHO) has warned against prematurely declaring the corona pandemic over. In some countries there is a high vaccination rate combined with the omicron variant being less dangerous, said Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus on Friday at the Munich Security Conference. This feeds the dangerous narrative that the pandemic is over.

“But that’s not true,” he insisted. Not when 70,000 people are dying each week from a preventable and treatable disease. Not when 83 percent of Africa’s population hasn’t even received a first dose of vaccine. Not when health systems are still groaning under the number of cases. And not when there is a highly transmissible virus circulating almost unchecked. The WHO Director-General warned that the conditions are ideal for even more transmissible, dangerous variants to emerge.

However, the pandemic could be ended as a global health emergency. In this context, Tedros renewed the WHO goal of collecting 16 billion dollars, in particular from rich countries, in order to make vaccines, tests, medicines and masks available in poorer countries in a targeted manner.

Karl Lauterbach wants to continue working on compulsory vaccinations during the corona pandemic

Update from February 18, 7:32 p.m .: The number of vaccinations is currently declining. Brandenburg is therefore even closing two of its vaccination centers. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach continues to rely on a majority in the Bundestag for the introduction of general corona vaccination. “We are fighting for compulsory vaccination,” said the SPD politician to the daily newspaper taz . It is still necessary. “We still have so many unvaccinated people that we will have serious problems again in the fall without compulsory vaccination.” The vaccination rate is not increased “by another vaccination campaign, but only by compulsory vaccination”.

With regard to the compulsory vaccination debate in the Bundestag, Lauterbach has already made it clear that he supports a push by several members of the traffic light coalition for compulsory vaccination from the age of 18. With a view to the draft of another group for mandatory advice and then a possible vaccination requirement only from the age of 50, he said: “This risks high numbers of cases among younger people. With a variant like Delta, there would be severe courses in younger people, in diabetics, people with previous cancer, overweight and people with impaired kidney function.

Useless corona vaccine vaccinated on dozens of people

Update from February 18, 4:59 p.m .: Unusable vaccine: 88 vaccinates received this during a campaign by the Johanniter in Cuxhaven and Bad Bederkesa. The Biontech vaccine had been stored at too high a temperature for 37 hours. However, the problem was only recognized after the vaccination appointment. A health impairment of those affected by this improper administration is not to be feared. “What we don’t know is whether and to what extent vaccination protection now exists,” says Dr. Kai Dehne, head of the health department at Nord24 . Those affected have been informed. Dehne assumes that another vaccination could be necessary.

Overall, the vaccination rates are currently declining (see update at 12.20 p.m.) . Brandenburg is therefore now even closing the two national vaccination centers in the Potsdam Metropolishalle and at Schönefeld Airport at the end of February. The last doses of vaccine will be distributed there on February 26th. However, there are still many vaccination offers in medical practices and municipal vaccination centers, as well as mobile vaccination offers.

Fewer corona patients in intensive care units: Free beds are still becoming fewer

Update from February 18, 3:55 p.m .: There are currently fewer beds available in the intensive care units despite falling occupancy. According to a report by the DIVI register, the occupancy of the intensive care units with Covid 19 cases in Germany on February 18 was as follows:

Overall, the load on the station is therefore reduced. Nevertheless, 95 fewer beds were available on February 18 than the day before. In detail, on February 17 there were 2907 free beds (13.16%), on February 18 only 2812 (12.8%).

The overview of the DIVI register shows the currently free, operable beds. A hospital bed is considered “operable” if there are enough staff available for it. Staff shortages therefore mean that the number of free beds is falling despite falling workloads. Again and again, experts point out that Omikron primarily burdens the normal wards. The German Hospital Society reported on 17.2. following data:

Corona: Germany removes popular holiday destinations from the high-risk list

Update from February 18, 1:50 p.m .: The federal government removed almost 20 countries from the list of corona high-risk areas this Sunday, including Spain, the USA and Great Britain. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute on Friday. Tunisia, Morocco and India, among others, will also be removed from the list. It is easier for travelers coming from countries that are no longer classified as high-risk areas to return to Germany. This time, no country is newly classified as a high-risk area.

The countries removed from the high-risk list in detail: Spain, the French Overseas departments of French Guiana, Mayotte, St. Pierre, Miquelon; Ireland, Andorra, Great Britain, Afghanistan, Algeria, Fiji, India, Kazakhstan, Qatar, Laos, Morocco, Nepal, Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Tunisia, Uzbekistan, United Arab Emirates, USA.

Anyone entering the country from a high-risk area and not fully vaccinated – i.e. usually twice – or recovered, must be in quarantine for ten days and can free themselves from it at the earliest five days after entry with a negative test. For children who have not yet reached the age of six, the isolation ends automatically five days after entry.

Corona in Germany: Vaccination rate continues to decrease

Update from February 18, 12:20 p.m .: Vaccination against the corona virus is progressing more and more slowly. At least 175,000 doses of vaccine were administered in Germany on Thursday, according to RKI data from Friday. That is significantly fewer vaccinations than on Thursday last week (248,288) and than two weeks ago (339,369 vaccinations).

In the meantime, 75.1 percent of the population (at least 62.4 million people) have received basic protection, which usually requires two injections. 56.1 percent (46.6 million) also received a booster vaccination. 76.2 percent (63.3 million) have been vaccinated at least once.

The RKI has long pointed out that the numbers shown are to be understood as minimum vaccination rates. A hundred percent coverage by the reporting system cannot be achieved. The RKI assumes that the actual vaccination rate is up to five percentage points higher than indicated on the dashboard.

Corona numbers in Germany are falling slightly – Lauterbach warns: “Not yet in safe waters”

First report from February 18: Berlin – “Our data indicate that the peak of the omicron wave has passed,” said RKI Vice President Lars Schaade at the federal press conference on Friday (February 18) in Berlin. In fact, the Corona* numbers have fallen again. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence at 1371.7. For comparison: the day before the value was 1385.1. A week ago, the incidence was 1472.2 (previous month: 553.2). The health authorities in Germany reported 220,048 new corona infections to the RKI within one day.

However, the numbers are only of limited significance at the moment. Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data. Test capacities and health authorities are therefore at the limit in many places, and contacts are only tracked to a limited extent. In addition, the number of people who no longer have their infection* confirmed by a PCR test is likely to increase – the infection is therefore not included in the official statistics.

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach, despite the slightly falling Corona * numbers, warned of further caution and warned of additional easing. The peak of the Omicron wave has passed, said the SPD politician on Friday in Berlin. However, a renewed increase in the number of cases cannot be ruled out with certainty at this point in time. The development is “not really in safe waters yet”. Lauterbach referred to the still high proportion of unvaccinated people over 60 at risk and the new, probably more contagious omicron sub-variant BA.2.

Corona in Germany: omicron subtype BA.2 is increasing significantly

The omicron subtype BA.2* has recently increased significantly in Germany. The proportion of corona cases examined in a sample has recently risen to 14.9 percent, the RKI stated in its weekly report on Thursday evening. This information refers to the week up to February 6th – for the week before, the RKI gives the share as 10.4 percent.

There is not yet enough data to be able to assess the characteristics of the subtype with regard to the severity of the disease more precisely. However, due to the progressive spread and easier transferability of BA.2, “a slower decrease or a renewed increase in the number of cases cannot be ruled out,” it says.

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Corona loosening: “The maximum we can afford”

The planned relaxation of the Corona * measures and an associated increase in contacts could therefore also contribute to such a development. Experts have recently increasingly pointed to BA.2 as a possible uncertainty factor. In countries like Denmark, the subtype has already spread rapidly. This is therefore also possible in Germany and, according to many, could ensure that the omicron wave is extended.

With a view to the federal and state resolutions for the extensive elimination of the drastic everyday restrictions by March 20, Health Minister Lauterbach also emphasized that this was not the end of all corona measures. It’s about a “slow exit”. He therefore appeals to all prime ministers not to go beyond that. It is important to implement the agreed steps like clockwork. “That’s the maximum we can afford to relax.” (ph with dpa) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA

List of rubrics: © dpa/Frank Rumpenhorst