The move by head of the health insurance company, Andreas Gassen, to lift all corona restrictions on October 30, is rejected by the SPD and the Greens. The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach considers this to be “not ethically justifiable”. The wave of the pandemic that would come would be too big warned the SPD politician on Twitter. An opening would be better if 85 percent were vaccinated. Until then, the 2-G rule should apply.
The Green health expert Janosch Dahmen also contradicted Gassen. “Now to pretend that the pandemic is a private pleasure and the unvaccinated people are ultimately to blame for it and we could now say goodbye to all protective measures, I think that’s cynical,” said Dahmen to the broadcaster NDR Info. The claim also contradicts the attitude of the majority of general practitioners. For the measures to be relaxed, a vaccination quota of over 60-year-olds of significantly more than 90 percent would be needed, and of more than 80 percent in the population as a whole for people who were able to vaccinate.
The FDP health expert Andrew Ullmann considers a discussion about lifting the corona rules to be right. But it is too early to give a specific date. Ullmann said: “Whether it’s October 30th, All Saints’ Day or maybe mid-November”, he doesn’t dare to say anything. In the coming weeks you have to watch the corona developments closely. Gassen had spoken out in favor of the end of all corona restrictions on October 30th. “After the experience from Great Britain, we should also have the courage to do what has worked on the island. So we now need a clear statement from politics: In six weeks we will be Freedom Day!”, Said the chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians the New Osnabrück Newspaper (Saturday). (18.09.2021)
25,000 people at a huge party in Madrid and 8,000 in Barcelona
According to the police, around 25,000 young people celebrated a huge open-air party in the Spanish capital, Madrid, despite the ban. In social networks you could see how the participants danced and drank alcohol on Saturday night in open spaces between university buildings in Madrid’s Ciudad Universitaria district, like the newspaper El País reported. A similar mass party with 8,000 participants as the newspaper was also reported from Barcelona on the campus of the Autonomous University La Vanguardia wrote. The winter semester has just started in Spain.
Outdoor parties often high in alcohol, called “botellones” in Spain, are prohibited and drinking alcohol in public can result in a heavy fine. The official nightlife in Spain is still subject to some restrictions due to Corona and is often too expensive, especially for young people.
The police in Madrid emphasized that they did not have enough forces available to dissolve such a mass gathering and therefore held back. The last party-goers in Madrid did not leave until Saturday morning around seven o’clock. The corona situation in Spain is currently quite relaxed, the number of new infections is low, the situation in the hospitals has calmed down and the vaccination campaign is well advanced. (18.09.2021)
US panel of experts speaks out against third-party vaccinations for under-65s
A panel of experts from the US Food and Drug Administration recommends Corona booster vaccinations with the agent from Biontech / Pfizer only for the elderly and risk groups. The influential group of scientists concluded that the available data did not warrant a general introduction of a third dose of vaccine for people less than 65 years of age. However, the committee recommends the booster vaccination for health care workers.
In view of decreasing immunity to Covid-19, US President Joe Biden had spoken out in favor of a further dose for everyone whose second vaccination was more than eight months ago. Recently, however, researchers also had in the specialist magazine The Lancet Doubts about Corona booster vaccinations expressed for everyone: “The previous study situation shows no need to administer boosters on a broad front in population groups with effective, complete vaccinations,” it said.
The World Health Organization had also spoken out against booster vaccinations in view of the low vaccination rates in many poorer countries. (18.09.2021)
The incidence is 72.0
The seven-day incidence in Germany fell for the fifth day in a row. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Saturday morning as 72.0. For comparison: the previous day the value was 74.4, a week ago it was 82.8.
The health authorities in Germany reported 8901 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. A week ago the value was 11,214 infections. 63 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 45 deaths.
The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days was given by the RKI on Friday at 1.89. A nationwide threshold, 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 time. (September 18, 2021)
USA wants to donate large amounts of vaccination doses
According to a media report, the USA wants to buy hundreds of millions of additional vaccine doses from Biontech partner Pfizer and donate them worldwide. The purchase should be announced at the UN General Assembly at the beginning of next week, it reports Wall Street Journal citing two people familiar with the project. US President Joe Biden is campaigning for a global vaccination campaign to fight the pandemic. The US is urging other countries to aim for a vaccination quota of the world population of 70 percent by 2022, as can be seen from US discussion papers for a virtual corona summit planned on the sidelines of the UN meeting.
Switzerland tightened entry regulations
To curb the number of infections, Switzerland is increasing the entry barriers. From September 20, people who have not been vaccinated or have recovered will have to show a negative test at the border – regardless of where they come from or what means of transport they are traveling with. A second test is required after four to seven days. The government wanted to prevent an increase in the number of travelers returning after the autumn break.
On the other hand, there is good news for Portugal travelers: The federal government is withdrawing an existing travel warning for the Algarve in Portugal and the classification as a high-risk area. “With effect from September 19, 2021, the Covid-19-related travel warning for this region will no longer apply,” said the Foreign Office. The classification as a high-risk area no longer applies from Sunday. (17.09.2021)
Apparently more vaccine breakthroughs at Johnson & Johnson
Experts and authorities are noticing increased breakthroughs in people who have been immunized with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. So far, 6,106 cases are known in which the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) wrote in its current weekly report in which an illness occurred despite complete vaccination protection with this vaccine. According to the RKI, a good three million people have received a Johnson & Johnson vaccination so far. For every million people vaccinated, there would be – roughly estimated – 2000 vaccination breakthroughs. For comparison: in people who received the vaccine most frequently used in Germany (Biontech / Pfizer) as a second dose, there are around 675 breakthroughs per million people who were completely vaccinated.
The preparation from Johnson & Johnson is the only corona vaccine approved so far in the EU that, according to the EU Medicines Agency (EMA), only requires one dose. After this vaccination, it takes longer than after mRNA vaccinations, which include Biontech / Pfizer, for sufficient antibodies to form, said Carsten Watzl, Secretary General of the German Society for Immunology, of the German Press Agency. “Sometimes the levels are still rising more than a month after the vaccination.”
After a Johnson & Johnson vaccination, the antibody level is significantly lower than if another vaccine had been used. Therefore, the protection against infection seems to be significantly worse, said Watzl. However, the vaccine does protect against severe corona disease, he emphasized.
A spokeswoman for the pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson said that no corona vaccine can currently prevent infections 100 percent. “However, our approved Covid-19 vaccine as a single dose has been shown to help reduce the risk of infection and avoid severe courses,” she emphasized. The data indicated a robust and long-lasting effect over a period of eight months measured so far – also against Delta and other virus variants. (17.09.2021)
Israel’s medical service takes care of corona sufferers at home
In order to relieve the hospitals in the Corona crisis, the medical force of the Israeli army has been looking after corona infected people at home since this week. Dozens of teams of doctors, nurses and drivers would initially visit 250 sick people a day, the army said. The “Hand in Hand” operation could, however, be expanded if necessary.
More than 10,000 new corona cases per day were recently registered in Israel several times – the highest number since the beginning of the pandemic. On Friday, the Ministry of Health reported 3,171 new corona infected people for the previous day. However, significantly less had been tested. 658 people infected with corona are seriously ill. Almost 60 percent of the approximately 9.4 million Israelis are vaccinated. (17.09.2021)
Italy requires all workers to be vaccinated or tested
In the future, Italy will be the first country in Europe to require all employees in the private and public sector to have vaccinations or negative corona tests in order to carry out their work. The government of Prime Minister Mario Draghi decided to extensively expand the so-called Green Passport. Those who cannot show a certificate are no longer allowed to go to work in offices, authorities, shops or restaurants from October 15th. With the measure Draghi wants to change vaccination opponents and doubters. In Italy, 75 percent of people over the age of twelve had been vaccinated by Thursday.
Draghi pushed through the new decree despite protests from the trade unions and parts of the right-wing parties. In the consultations with the head of government, they unsuccessfully demanded that tests as an alternative to vaccinations should remain free. It shouldn’t be that you have to pay to go to work, they said. Draghi’s cabinet only decided on price caps: a test for adults must not cost more than 15 euros, for children eight euros.
Violations of the rules should be punished severely: Anyone who does not have a green passport (this also includes the EU Corona certificate) and therefore does not show up for work may be released without payment – in public institutions after five days, in the private sector immediately. In some areas, such as schools, the green pass is already compulsory. Employers who do not check, face a fine of up to 1500 euros. The new decree will apply from October 15th to December 31st. The Corona emergency still officially applies in Italy until the end of the year. (16.09.2021)