The positive trend in the number of cases continues – but that is not a reason to relax. Experts fear that the discharge will not reach the clinics before the omicron wave arrives.
Berlin – The number of new corona infections is not falling sharply or quickly enough in view of the high level of stress in the intensive care units and the impending wave of omicons. This is what the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) wrote in its weekly report on Thursday.
For this reason, all measures – such as reducing contacts, wearing masks or complying with hygiene rules – would have to be maintained or even intensified.
The number of reported new corona infections fell by 13 percent between December 6 and 12 compared to the previous week, according to the report. The proportion of samples tested positive did not increase either and is now 19.8 percent (previous week: 20.6 percent). Despite this development, the number of cases is still very high.
Hospitals heavily burdened
The seven-day incidence has decreased in all age groups compared to the previous week. Only among 0 to 4 year olds does it stagnate. The highest seven-day incidences are still recorded in the younger age groups: it was 905 for 10 to 14-year-olds and 888 for 5 to 9-year-olds. However, schoolchildren are also tested particularly frequently.
The burden on hospitals and intensive care units also remains high. Most of the hospital admissions are in the age groups over 60 years. According to the RKI, calculations indicate that the hospitalization rate is stabilizing at a high level. 4805 Covid-19 patients are currently (as of December 15) being treated in an intensive care unit. According to the RKI, at least 102 have been relocated across federal state borders according to the so-called clover leaf concept.
Omikron on the rise
The RKI registered an increase in the number of detected infections with the omicron variant of the coronavirus. By December 14th, 112 cases of the worrying variant have been detected via genome sequencing. In 213 other cases there is suspicion based on a specific PCR test. There are already first outbreaks. By December 7th, there had been 28 known infections with the Omikron variant. In relation to the total number of infections, however, the variant hardly plays a role in Germany: practically all infections are currently still caused by the delta variant, writes the RKI.
For 237 Omicron infections there is information on the symptoms. The infections were therefore predominantly without or with mild symptoms such as runny nose, cough and sore throat. Deaths have not yet been recorded.
In order to slow the spread of the variant, the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, called on Thursday to only celebrate Christmas in a small group. “We all want to spend the holidays with family and friends, but we all have to work together to ensure that Christmas doesn’t become a kick start for Omikron,” he said in Berlin. He “urged” citizens to spend the holidays in such a way that they would “not be a festival for the virus”.
In order to relieve the hospitals before the expected wave of Omikron, a rapid increase in the vaccination rate is urgently required in addition to the intensification of contact-restricting measures, the RKI report continues. 24 percent of the 18 to 59 year olds and 12 percent of the over 60 year olds are still unvaccinated.
Accelerated vaccine deliveries
The pace of vaccinations had recently increased significantly. In the past week, according to the RKI, there was a maximum of more than 6.6 million vaccinations. This week on Wednesday there was almost 1.5 million vaccinations, a daily record since the start of the vaccination campaign. The majority of these were booster vaccinations (nearly 1.3 million).
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to avoid an impending vaccine shortage with accelerated deliveries. For example, 35 million doses of the Moderna vaccine are to be delivered earlier than originally planned, 10 million of them in December, he said on Thursday in Berlin. There are also negotiations with Romania, Bulgaria, Portugal and Poland about a short-term takeover of cans that are not needed there. The German government had already announced that it would buy an additional 80 million cans from Biontech through EU contracts.
How well the vaccinations protect against the Omikron variant is still uncertain. On Thursday, researchers reported that two vaccinations with the product of the US manufacturer Moderna protect less well against Omikron than against certain earlier variants. Accordingly, four weeks after the second dose, vaccinated persons had significantly fewer antibodies against this variant in their blood than against others tested. The pharmaceutical companies Biontech and Pfizer had already reported diminishing protection against Omikron. A booster vaccination increased the number of protective antibodies in both cases. dpa
