In Germany, the number of new corona infections continues to rise. Hard rules are enacted, gloomy prognoses are made. Virologist Drosten now doubts the 3G regulation.
- The nationwide incidence has risen to a new high (see update from November 20, 7.15 a.m.) .
- Stiko boss Mertens gives a gloomy vaccination prognosis (see update from November 20, 10:05 a.m.) .
- Virologist Christian Drosten also has open doubts about the 3G rule in the workplace determined by the traffic light (see update from November 20, 2:35 p.m.) .
- This news ticker on Corona * in Germany is updated regularly.
Update from November 20, 2:35 p.m.: After the future traffic light coalition decided on the 3G rule in the workplace, the virologist Christian Drosten now expresses his concerns about the informative value of rapid antigen tests. He writes on Twitter: “Before symptoms begin, rapid tests are simply not sensitive enough. Hence my doubts about 3G. ”Preliminary data would also suggest that the sensitivity of rapid tests in vaccinated people is even worse. Therefore, it is now absolutely necessary to have more vaccinations and reduce the number of contacts.
This is what it looks like. Before symptoms start, rapid tests are simply not sensitive enough. Hence my doubts about 3G. In vaccinated people, the sensitivity seems to be even worse (preliminary data). Therefore close vaccination gaps, boost and reduce contacts until then. https://t.co/sbd27eHapc
– Christian Drosten (@c_drosten) November 20, 2021
Experts such as the chairman of the Professional Association of German Laboratory Doctors, Andreas Bobrowski, agree with Drosten. Especially with asymptomatic patients, a PCR test is much more reliable, Bobrowski told Bild . The rapid antigen test would therefore even pose “a problem”.
Over 60,000 new infections, incidence record – Stiko boss: vaccinations will not break the fourth wave
Update from November 20, 10:05 a.m.: Can the fourth wave still be broken? The chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, gives a gloomy prognosis: He does not believe that the infection process can be contained in the near future by increased vaccination. “It must be said that vaccinations can actually no longer play a role in overcoming the acute situation at the moment,” said the television station Phoenix on Friday evening. “We will not be able to break the fourth wave with vaccinations.”
Nevertheless, it was necessary to continue to vaccinate, explained Mertens. Because: “The vaccinations are very important for what it will look like next year.” Booster vaccinations are also a decisive factor, which, according to Health Minister Spahn, should be carried out with Moderna instead of Biontech in the future. * The Stiko boss agreed in principle also a partial vaccination requirement passed by politicians. “A job or institution-specific vaccination requirement could make sense in the current situation,” said Mertens. Politicians must decide on a general compulsory vaccination.
Is vaccination compulsory in Germany? Traffic light reacts clearly to the decision in Austria
Update from November 20, 9:10 am: The future traffic light coalition has reacted to Austria’s announcement of the general vaccination requirement: “It won’t be there,” said the acting Foreign Minister Heiko Maas (SPD) to the TV broadcaster Bild Live . “Because we don’t consider it necessary, because we also consider it difficult from a constitutional point of view.” There will be compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups, “and I think that’s right”. The FDP health politician Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus told the picture : “Putting the general compulsory vaccination in the room as a threat does not help anyone.” Especially the countries with dramatic Corona numbers “should concentrate on expanding the vaccination offers as agreed and the new ones.” To implement corona measures “.
Bavaria’s Prime Minister, CSU boss Markus Söder, spoke out on Friday (November 19) in favor of a general vaccination requirement. “I believe that in the end we will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination,” he said. Otherwise it would be “an endless loop with this crap corona”. Austria’s Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg had previously announced that he would be the first country in the EU to introduce mandatory corona vaccination from February 2022 *. In view of the massive fourth corona wave, the country will go into a lockdown again from Monday, which for those who have been vaccinated and recovered should definitely end on December 13th at the latest.
Current corona numbers: Over 60,000 new infections – sad incidence record
Update from November 20, 7.15 a.m.: The seven-day incidence in Germany has again risen to a high. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Saturday at 362.2. For comparison: the previous day the value was 340.7, a week ago it was 277.4 (previous month: 80.4). The health authorities in Germany reported 63,924 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. This is evident from the numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 4:02 a.m. Exactly one week ago there were 45,081 infections. According to the new information, 248 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 228 deaths.
The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days – the most important parameter for a possible tightening of the corona restrictions – was given by the RKI on Friday at 5.34 (Thursday: 5.30). With the indicator it must be taken into account that hospital admissions are sometimes reported with delay. The previous high was around 15.5 around Christmas last year.
Injured by warning shots during riots in Rotterdam due to corona restrictions
During a violent demonstration against Corona restrictions in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, warning shots were fired by the police (see previous update). Among other things, there were seven injuries, including police officers, from the warning shots, the police said on Saturday night. Dozens of rioters were arrested during the riots. Some demonstrators had therefore started fires in the port city and threw fireworks.
Rotterdam Mayor Ahmed Aboutaleb described the riots in front of reporters as an “orgy of violence”. “The police saw the need to ultimately draw a police weapon to defend themselves.”
Warning shots at Corona demo in Holland
Update from November 19, 10:31 p.m.: During a demonstration against stricter corona measures, violent riots broke out in the Dutch port city of Rotterdam on Friday evening. The demonstrators had started fires and threw fireworks, there had been “riots”, said the responsible police department on Twitter. The Dutch police reportedly fired warning shots at the corona demo.
Study: higher risk of stillbirths in pregnant women due to corona infection
Update from November 19, 9:01 p.m.: A current US study recognizes a connection between a corona infection and the risk of stillbirths. The US health authority CDC announced on Friday. As a result, the risk of stillbirth before the onset of the delta variant of the coronavirus was 1.47 times higher than in uninfected women. The delta variant increased the risk of stillbirth again: According to the study, it was 1.9 times higher.
The study was based on a total of 1.2 million hospital admissions that were collected between March 2020 and September 2021. There were 8154 stillbirths. The scientists calculated other risks for stillbirth statistically, as the AFP news agency reported on Friday. The researchers point out that further research is necessary to fully understand the relationship. Vaccination minimizes the risk of infection. The permanent vaccination commission in Germany (Stiko) also recommends corona vaccination for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
Corona rules in Germany: tighten Saxony and Hesse
Update from November 19, 7:50 p.m.: Saxony is taking strict measures due to the high corona incidences. The state wants to close libraries, cultural and leisure facilities, bars, clubs and discos. Christmas markets are also not allowed to take place. The German press agency reported on Friday evening. In addition, unvaccinated people in counties with an incidence of more than 1000 are subject to a night-time exit restriction from Monday in Saxony.
Hesse also announced on Friday evening that it wanted to tighten the corona rules in the middle of next week. The federal state wants to implement the regulations according to the changes to the Infection Protection Act set by the Bundestag and Bundesrat, as well as changes to the resolutions of the Prime Minister’s Conference. These provide for the 2G rule for indoor spaces such as restaurants, sports facilities or cultural institutions. In discos, bars or prostitution establishments, proof of vaccination or recovery and a negative test are required.
The Ministry of Health is capping the order quantity for Biontech vaccines
Update from November 19, 6:10 p.m.: The Ministry of Health wants to limit the order quantity of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine for doctors and vaccination centers from next week. In the future, doctors will only be allowed to order 30 vaccination doses per week, vaccination centers and mobile vaccination teams up to 1020 doses per week. This should boost demand for the Moderna vaccine. Doctors are currently asking 90 percent of the vaccine Biontech / Pfizer, as the dpa reported on Friday evening. But the Moderna vaccine is already available and stored; it would expire from the middle of the 1st quarter of 2022. The new regulation is intended to prevent this.
The Ministry of Health does not fear a shortage of vaccines and makes it clear that “precautions have been taken so that sufficient vaccine is available for booster vaccinations”. By the end of the year, more than 40 million cans would be available for this purpose, according to a letter that is available to the German Press Agency.
Update from November 19, 4:35 p.m.: The President of the Central Association of the German Hairdressing Trade, Manuela Härtelt-Dören, brought up vaccinations in hairdressing salons on Friday. The hairdressing trade has around 250,000 customer contacts per day, according to Härtelt-Dören: “Hairdressers reach all social classes, a very broad mass,” she explained to the news portal t-online.de on Friday.
“If people are getting their hair cut, they can be well informed about the vaccinations – even if that sounds strange at first,” said Härtelt-Dören. “We can now achieve a higher vaccination quota through low-threshold vaccination offers, which will also be decisive for the booster vaccination.” She criticized the 2G rule in hairdressing salons, however: “The 2G rule affects us hairdressers again, because hundreds of thousands Customers will stay away. That can’t be “, said the president of the central association.
These are the new corona measures in Bavaria
Update from November 19, 3:25 p.m.: At 625.3, Bavaria has the highest incidence nationwide. The state therefore decided on extensive measures on Friday afternoon *. Bars, clubs and the entire night gastronomy in Bavaria have to close, even Christmas markets are not allowed to take place. The new rules come into effect on Wednesday night. Then there is also a curfew in the catering trade from 10 p.m. Retail is limited to one customer per ten square meters, but otherwise remains open. Unvaccinated people have to limit themselves to a maximum of five people from two households at meetings. Cultural and sporting events are only accessible with a 2G certificate and may have a total occupancy rate of 25 percent. When presenting the plans, Prime Minister Markus Söder also openly thought about a general vaccination requirement *.
At incidences above 1000, there is de facto a complete lockdown. Events are canceled, body-hugging services have to close. Only one customer is allowed to enter retail outlets per 20 square meters. There are currently eight Bavarian districts above the 1000 threshold for the seven-day incidence *. The hospitalization rate in Bavaria reaches a value of 9.15, only the federal states of Thuringia and Saxony-Anhalt are higher with 17.55 and 11.92. For comparison: Hamburg has the lowest hospitalization rate with a value of 1.94. This is based on data from the Robert Koch Institute *. The intensive care units in southern Germany are currently reaching their limit. The federal government is therefore planning an aid mission by the Air Force *.
Despite the ban: Christmas market in Regensburg opens on Friday evening
Despite the ban on Christmas markets from Tuesday evening, the market in the courtyard of Gloria Fürstin von Thurn und Taxis in Regensburg has announced that it will open on Friday evening. “As long as I have not received a legally binding written prohibition, we will continue to operate the market,” said organizer Peter Kittel of the German Press Agency. He has legal steps examined. The market takes place in the fresh air and, according to the organizer, a 2G rule applies. “We do not understand that a football game can take place with spectators, but our market is called into question,” said Kittel. The existence of 120 stand operators would depend on the market.
Bavaria goes into lockdown light
Update from November 19, 1:25 p.m.: Bavaria goes into lockdown light *. All discos, bars and pubs will be closed again next week. All Christmas markets are canceled. The coalition of the CSU and Free Voters agreed on this a few minutes ago, as Munich Merkur learned.
Corona in Germany: Christmas in lockdown? Spahn expresses himself
Update from November 19, 11:45 a.m.: Five weeks before Christmas, the Managing Minister of Health Jens Spahn does not dare to say what Christmas can look like under Corona conditions. “The question of how Christmas will be, I don’t dare to say anything. It’s up to each of us, ”said the CDU politician in Berlin on Friday. Spahn pointed out that with a reproduction value well below 1, the number of new infections could decrease as quickly as it increased.
The head of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, said: “If we take measures today, we will see their effect in two weeks.” In regions like Bavaria, Saxony or Thuringia with very high incidences, it will of course take longer to resolve the situation de-escalate again than where protective measures were taken earlier. “Five weeks is not a long time.” On Wednesday evening, Wieler warned during an online discussion with the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU): “We are currently facing a serious emergency. We will really have a very bad Christmas if we don’t take countermeasures now. “
Update from November 19, 9:10 a.m .: Federal Health Minister Spahn and RKI boss Wieler will jointly provide information about the current situation in Germany at a press conference starting at 10 a.m.
“Have a high number of unreported cases”: Virologist Streeck assumes significantly more corona infections
Original message from November 19, 2021: Berlin – Germany is in the middle of the fourth corona wave. To contain the pandemic and protect against further infections, the federal and state governments agreed on new corona rules for Germany on Thursday (November 18). Meanwhile, the nationwide seven-day incidence has risen again.
Corona in Germany: Infections are increasing again
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week as 340.7 on Friday morning (November 19). For comparison: the previous day the value was 336.9, a week ago it was 263.7 (previous month: 75.1). The health authorities in Germany reported 52,970 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. This is evident from the numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 3:48 a.m. Exactly one week ago there were 48,640 infections.
According to the new information, 201 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 191 deaths. The RKI has counted 5,248,291 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections are not recognized.
Corona in Germany: RKI reports current hospitalization rate
The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days – the most important parameter for a possible tightening of the corona restrictions – was given by the RKI on Thursday at 5.30 (Wednesday: 5.15). With the indicator it must be taken into account that hospital admissions are sometimes reported with delay. A nationwide threshold value from when the situation can be viewed critically is not provided for the incidence of hospitalization, among other things because of large regional differences. The previous high was around 15.5 around Christmas last year.
“Have a high number of unreported cases”: Virologist Streeck assumes significantly more infections
While the number of infections is already rising, the Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck assumes that there are significantly more cases than are known. “We have a high number of unreported cases. One can assume that we currently have far more infected people than the incidence would lead us to believe, “says the director of the institutes for virology and HIV research at the University of Bonn, in the podcast” Die Wochenester “from” Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger ” “And” RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland “in conversation with the podcast moderators Wolfgang Bosbach and Christian Rach.
Streeck criticizes the current parameters in the assessment of the pandemic: “We are sticking to the incidence, but it is only a case incidence and not a real epidemiological one.” He complains: “In this pandemic we did not manage to collect really reliable data , where we know exactly how high the incidence is. ”( jbr / dpa ) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubric lists: © Rolf Vennenbernd / dpa
