Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) demands that the rule of law must crack down on radicals in protests against the corona policy. “When people become radical and abusive, then I think a limit has been reached,” she told ARD on Tuesday–Capital studio. This means that a meeting will be dissolved if it is not registered. Threats and violence could not be accepted.
Faeser, however, pleaded for the so-called “walkers” to be dealt with in a diefferent manner. If people disagree, you have to be ready to talk. Only a very small minority is radical. She appeals to moderate participants in the rallies: “Look carefully at who you are demonstrating with. Of course, criticism is always very welcome in a democracy as long as it takes place on the basis of the constitution.” (04/01/2022)
Number of detected Omicron cases tripled within a week
The number of reliably proven and probable Omicron cases in Germany transmitted to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has more than tripled within a week. 35,529 would now be assigned to the new Corona variant, it said on Tuesday on an RKI overview page. A week ago the value was 10,443. A graph from the RKI on the development over time shows a very steep increase in the weekly reported numbers in connection with Omikron.
For the current and the past week, the RKI expects a high number of new and late registrations. Depending on the detection method, several days or weeks can therefore elapse between the initial report of a corona infection and the laboratory result of the presence of a certain variant.
According to the RKI, the figures only include Omikron cases that have been reliably proven by a complete genetic analysis or in which a variant-specific PCR test has revealed a suspicion of Omikron. In Germany, only a small proportion of the positive samples are tested for variants.
Detailed information on the cases recorded is currently only incomplete. It is currently stated that six people from the age group 60 to 79 years, two from the group 35 to 59 years and one from the group 15 to 34 years have died. 361 cases were reported to have been admitted to the hospital. In 564 there was information that it was a reinfection – i.e. an infection despite previous corona infection.
In absolute numbers, according to the RKI, most of the previous reports that are assigned to Omikron are from North Rhine-Westphalia with 10 779. This is followed by Bavaria with almost 7537 and Baden-Württemberg with 4323. In the southwestern state, Omikron is with the local government according to a current query Laboratories are now dominant. The RKI does not specify how often the variant is tested in a respective federal state. (04/01/2022)
Prison directors want inmates to be vaccinated
For reasons of infection protection and to ensure the functionality of the criminal justice system, prison directors are calling for inmates and staff in prisons to be vaccinated. In view of the often “lack of insight into the necessity of compliance with hygiene and protection rules” and the “below-average vaccination rates among inmates”, prisons are at great risk for corona outbreaks, warns the Federal Association of Institution Directors in Prison (BVAJ) . The vaccination rates for people working in the penal system as well as for external employees with access to the prisons remained “in many places below what is required”.
The mandatory vaccination for clinics and care facilities must be extended to prisons as quickly as possible, according to the federal association. Because an accumulation of infections among inmates or servants could “seriously disrupt security and order”. (04/01/2022)
Hamburg tightened corona rules
In view of the rapidly increasing number of infections, Hamburg’s red-green Senate is once again tightening the corona rules. The previous 2-G rules will largely be replaced by 2-G plus rules, said Senate spokesman Marcel Schweitzer. That applies to gastronomy, culture, indoor sports, but not retail. People with a booster vaccination are exempt from the obligation to test from Monday, including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.
Meanwhile, the seven-day incidence in Hamburg has risen significantly again. The health authority gave the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week on Tuesday at 463.3. On Monday the value was 440.3, a week ago it was 329.8. This means that Hamburg is still well above the national average of 239.9. (04/01/2022)
150 million corona vaccinations achieved in Germany
A good year after the start of the Corona vaccination campaign in Germany, the mark of 150 million vaccinations has been reached. 59.3 million people or 71.3 percent of the population now have full basic protection with the second injection, which is usually necessary, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Tuesday. At least 32.7 million people, or 39.3 percent of the population, received an additional booster vaccination. This third “booster” dose is now considered to be important for effective protection against the more contagious virus variant Omikron.
According to the information, 61.7 million people or 74.2 percent of the population have now received at least one first vaccination. The federal government is aiming for a mark of 80 percent by the end of January, after January 7th was initially mentioned as the target. According to the RKI, 447,000 girls and boys have received an injection since the vaccinations of children between the ages of five and eleven, which began on a broad front in mid-December. Overall, vaccinations continue to pick up speed after the turn of the year. According to the information, a total of 226,000 cans were injected on Monday. (04/01/2022)