Europe is fighting! Against the delta variant and against increasing numbers of infections. They all proceed differently. And there are also problems with vaccination.
Brussels – It is a lonely peak not only in Europe on Wednesday, July 14, 2021: With a 7-day incidence of 737.5, Cyprus is currently the country with the most infections extrapolated to 100,000 inhabitants worldwide. Far behind in Europe: Great Britain with an incidence of 345.5.
| Corona variant: | delta |
| Scientific name: | B.1.617.2 |
| Initial verification: | India |
| Discovered on: | 5th October 2020 |
| Current share in Germany: | about 59 percent |
The biggest problem here is the delta variant, which hardly any herb seems to have grown against. In any case, the number of infections is currently skyrocketing across the European Union and the number of people willing to be vaccinated against the coronavirus is falling.
Incidence in Europe: How the countries are fighting against incidence and vaccination fatigue: Delta variant in Spain at over 60 percent
The highly contagious corona virus in the delta variant is particularly rampant among young people who have not yet been vaccinated in Spain. Particularly affected: the region of Catalonia. If the incidence is extrapolated to 14 days instead of seven days, the result is even an incidence of 2100 among 20 to 29-year-olds. Calculated over the entire population, there is still a 7-day incidence of 287.6 currently on Wednesday, July 14, 2021.
Especially in the northeast of the country, the infection rate with Covid-19 is particularly high among young people, reports the “Spiegel”. According to the Oxford virologist Daniel Prieto-Alhambra, a rate of spread of the virus can be observed here that is not even known from Great Britain. The delta variant now accounts for a good 60 percent of new infections.
However, Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez initially wants to refrain from declaring another state of alarm for the entire country. He trusts that his compatriots will again succeed in breaking the corona wave. Sánchez took a similar approach last summer and winter. Result: different rules up and down the country. In Valencia, for example, the regional government decided on a curfew in some particularly badly affected municipalities; in Catalonia, including Barcelona, nightclubs and discos had to close their doors again.
Vaccination fatigue, on the other hand, cannot be recognized in Spain. Extrapolated to 100 inhabitants, 1.2 citizens receive daily immunization against the virus. In Germany and Italy, on the other hand, it is just under 1.0. The next step in Spain is the young people.
So the Netherlands is fighting against incidence and vaccination fatigue: After easing, infections explode
In the neighboring country of the Netherlands, new infections with Covid-Sars-2 are currently increasing even faster than in Great Britain or Spain *. The number of new infections has increased tenfold, the current incidence value for the Netherlands on Wednesday, July 14, 2021, is currently 303.5. Particularly hard in focus: Amsterdam and Groningen, because almost every 100th inhabitant there tested positive for the virus in the past week. Since 70 percent of adults in the Netherlands have already been vaccinated at least once, the situation in the hospitals is almost relaxed.
About three weeks ago, Prime Minister Mark Rutte had withdrawn almost all corona measures. The masses celebrated in clubs and discos, but without full immune protection. Because already on the day of the vaccination you received a QR code with which you were freed from most of the restrictions. However, full vaccination protection does not apply until around 14 days after the second vaccination. In addition, a negative corona test was valid for 40 hours. This obviously invited people to exchange test results and QR codes.
In the meantime, the Netherlands has moved away from some corona easing, as the delta variant of the corona virus is becoming more and more popular. As a result, clubs and discos are closed again and festivals are not permitted until mid-August. Restaurants in the Netherlands have to close at midnight until further notice.
Incidence in Great Britain: Almost all Corona measures fall in England – almost 36,500 new infections in just one day
In the UK, the incidence on Wednesday morning was 345.5, which equates to 36,500 new infections that day, 50 people have died. At the same time, 3,000 patients were hospitalized within the first seven days of July, an increase of almost 50 percent compared to the previous week. It was not until Monday, July 12, 2021, that Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s cabinet decided to lift almost all corona measures for July 19, at least for England. In the meantime, 99 percent of the infection rate in the United Kingdom can be traced back to the Delta variant. Johnson called on his compatriots to be “extremely careful” because the pandemic was not over yet.
So from next Monday, July 19, 2021, there will no longer be any restrictions, at least in England. The mask requirement is no longer required, there is no longer a minimum distance and the bars, cafes and restaurants are also allowed to reopen without restrictions. In night life, digital certificates are to be used that prove recovery or a vaccination. It should also be able to prove a negative test.
Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic: Infections in Eastern Europe are slowing down
After hard third corona waves, the infection rate in Poland, Hungary, Slovakia and the Czech Republic slowed down somewhat thanks to the vaccination campaign. Tough corona measures in connection with Covid-19 due to high death and infection rates had almost switched off public life here. For a few days now, the number of infections has also increased here.
Although the delta variant is not yet significantly present here (Poland 13 percent, Czech Republic 26 percent), the fourth wave seems to be on the march. After Warsaw, Prague, Bratislava and Budapest had already relaxed the measures, attempts are now being made to make new requirements more flexible. In Poland, unvaccinated or only once vaccinated people who have had contact with a Delta infected person have to be in quarantine for two weeks. Slovakia and the Czech Republic have now tightened controls, especially in small border traffic.
But here too, vaccination fatigue is slowly spreading. To counteract this, the government in Warsaw has created an incentive system: Anyone who has received two vaccinations can win between 40 and 100 euros in a kind of lottery. The monthly prize is around 22,000 euros and in the annual drawing it should be up to 220,000 euros or a car. The annual drawing is scheduled for October 6th.
Corona in France: Government introduces mandatory vaccination for nursing staff – if they refuse, there is a risk of loss of income
In France, President Emmanuel Macron announced new measures and the withdrawal of recently decreed corona easing on Monday evening. Starting next month, all French citizens will have to present their so-called health passport as soon as they want to enter a theater, cinema, bar, café or restaurant. The pass is also required for longer train or air journeys. With the passport, the French can prove that they have either been vaccinated twice or have recovered from a corona infection. A negative corona test is also recorded in it.
In addition, Macron announced that all nurses in hospitals and retirement homes must be vaccinated by September 15. If a nurse refuses to be vaccinated in France, she is no longer allowed to work. According to Health Minister Olivier Véran, a salary will no longer be paid.
Incidence in France: Vaccination campaign in France is picking up speed again: a million appointments are given in one night
In France, the number of infections has been rising to alarming levels for days, according to experts, a fourth wave could be imminent. In a total of nine regions, the incidence value at the beginning of July was above 50, an average of 3500 corona cases were registered last week. As early as August 20, experts in France expect 60,000 infections and more per day. But only if no action is taken. A new lockdown could therefore threaten in the neighboring country.
But there is also good news from France. Thanks to the announced compulsory vaccination for nursing staff, the vaccination campaign is picking up speed again. After the announcement, over 3.4 million French people tried to get a vaccination appointment, around a million appointments could still be made during the night.
Greece attracts young people with a 150 euro bonus – vaccinations for 5 to 17 year olds allowed
Greece had actually relied on full beaches and an attractive tourism in the course of the vaccination campaign, but now the number of infections is also increasing enormously on the Aegean Sea. According to experts, the peak of the fourth wave in Greece will be reached around mid-August. The main fault is the Delta variant and also the vaccination skepticism within the Greek population. Only around 5.24 million Greeks have received at least one vaccination, around 4.25 million of them are already fully vaccinated. But with a total population of just under eleven million, this is by no means sufficient for herd immunity.
The solution of the government in Athens: the creation of a two-class society – namely vaccinated and unvaccinated. As a government spokeswoman said, people who have been vaccinated should have an easier life than those who have not yet been vaccinated. The aim is to prevent a nationwide lockdown, which in turn would affect the entire population. Public access to the interior of restaurants and bars has already been made more difficult this week. Only those who can prove immunity to Covid-19 or a recovery are allowed to enter.
At the same time, the state is primarily attracting young adults between the ages of 18 and 25 to the doctor’s office. Those in this group who get vaccinated receive 150 euros credit on their smartphone, which can be spent on travel or cultural matters. Just like in France, nurses in Greece will have to be vaccinated in the future. Children between the ages of 5 and 17 will soon be able to be vaccinated with the consent of their parents. In addition, due to the delta variant, this grouping should be given the opportunity to be tested for it free of charge. * Kreiszeitung.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
