The German Society for Child and Adolescent Medicine has urged children and adolescents from the age of 12 to be vaccinated against Corona. “After data from over ten million children and adolescents have been collected, I recommend vaccination to over 12-year-olds today generally and unreservedly, I advertise it as urgently as I do with adults,” said association president Jörg Dötsch the editorial network Germany. The risk-benefit assessment is clearly in favor of vaccination.
With regard to the corona situation in schools, Dötsch said: “We still do not want children to be infected – but we also want to avoid the youngest having to suffer again from the consequences of the school closings and the isolation measures.” The infection numbers are “no longer the decisive factor, not even if they are very high regionally.”
The President of the German Teachers’ Association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, on the other hand, expressed concern about the current development. “Even if the general number of infections is currently still stagnating, the outbreaks of infections in schools are currently increasing to an extent that we have not known about in the course of the pandemic, especially not at such an early point in time before winter,” said Meidinger Passauer Neue Presse. One “light at the end of the tunnel” is that the vaccination rate for 12 to 17 year olds is increasing rapidly. “If there is a vaccination offer for everyone in this country, of course on a voluntary basis, then one can also return to largely normalcy in schools,” said Meidinger. But this will not be before spring. (16.10.2021)
The incidence is 70.8
After weeks of stagnation, the infection rate in Germany seems to be picking up speed again. The 7-day incidence was for the first time since September 20. again above the mark of 70. The Robert Koch Institute gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Saturday morning at 70.8. For comparison: the previous day the value was 68.7, a week ago it was 64.4 (previous month: 76.3). The health authorities in Germany reported 10,949 new corona infections to the RKI within one day.
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 as 2.02 (Thursday 1.93). (16.10.2021)
Biontech and Pfizer apply for vaccine approval for children
The Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer have now also applied for approval of their corona vaccine for children aged five to eleven in Europe. Both announced on Friday that they had submitted the relevant data on the clinical investigations to the EU Medicines Agency (EMA). The same data has already been submitted to the US FDA. There, Biontech and Pfizer applied for emergency approval of the vaccine for children aged five to eleven on October 7th.
According to Biontech and Pfizer, the clinical studies show that the vaccine is well tolerated by children in this age group and elicits a stable immune response. In contrast to adolescents, children in this age group were given only a third of the dose. According to the company, a total of 4500 children between the ages of six and eleven are taking part in the study; the data on the five to eleven year olds are based on 2268 participants. More than 90 clinics in the USA, Finland, Poland and Spain were involved. (15/10/21)
Vaccinated persons are allowed to enter the USA from November 8th
The United States will lift corona entry restrictions on November 8, according to government information. Travelers must then present a US-recognized Covid vaccination before departure. In addition, a negative corona test proof is necessary, as it was said on Friday. The US government announced on September 20 that this would be an important opening for business and tourism in Germany. At Lufthansa and Condor, the number of bookings for flights to the USA skyrocketed, although the exact date was still open. (15/10/21)
England relaxes entry rules for vaccinated people
In time for the British autumn break, the government in London is again easing the corona rules for traveling to England. From October 24th, fully vaccinated people only have to do a rapid test after arrival and no longer a PCR test. This also halves the costs that travelers have to bear themselves.
PCR tests cost at least 50 pounds, that’s about 59 euros. These costs were particularly criticized by families. The test must be booked in advance and taken no later than the second day after arrival. Most English schoolchildren have their last day of school on October 22nd before the holidays. In the United Kingdom, health is a matter of the parts of the country. The central government in London is responsible for England, which has no government of its own.
Transport Secretary Grant Shapps told Sky News that the changes were based on trust. “Of course the system requires people to be honest, as with so many laws in this country.” At Times Radio, Shapps spoke of a “robust system”. It is important to take the step further to stimulate the tourism industry. The minister referred to a study according to which rapid tests produce significantly more correct results than expected. (15.10.2021)
RKI President Wieler receives death threats
The President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, sees himself exposed to massive threats. “I wish the situation would be more pleasant, but I still get threats,” Wieler told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Friday).
If, for example, it is publicly claimed that he is responsible for schools being closed, or if the claim is made somewhere that he wants lockdown instead of freedom, “then the threats, including death threats, increase massively”. But that doesn’t prevent him from doing his job. “But the risk does not prevent me from my duty. As long as I am an official of this state, I will serve it responsibly,” said Wieler.
The RKI boss defended his institute again against criticism because of incomplete vaccination data. An RKI report, according to which more people are probably vaccinated among adults than official data suggest, had caused a stir last week. He shared the anger about the reporting problems, but the RKI was not responsible, said Wieler. (10/15/2021)
In some cases incidences of more than 500 in children and adolescents
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) registers a particularly high number of corona infections among children and adolescents in individual regions of Germany. In eight districts, especially in Bavaria and Thuringia, as well as in the independent city of Rosenheim, the seven-day incidence is currently more than 500 among ten- to 19-year-olds, tweeted the RKI on Thursday evening for an evaluation in the new Corona weekly report.
Nationwide, the seven-day incidence last week in the age groups under 20 years fell slightly compared to the previous week, according to the report. In contrast, the values for people over the age of 20 rose slightly. The RKI also spoke of 636 school breakouts transmitted for the past four weeks – due to possible late registrations, however, the past two weeks in particular cannot yet be assessed.
The virus is tested regularly in day-care centers and schools, but the vaccination rate for twelve to 17-year-olds is much lower than that of adults. Children and adolescents are much less likely to get seriously ill with Covid-19 than older people, but there are still unanswered questions about long-term consequences. (10/14/2021)
Booster recommended for Moderna vaccination
After the approval of Corona booster vaccinations for the elderly and risk groups with the funds from Biontech / Pfizer, a panel of experts from the US FDA has also spoken out in favor of such vaccinations with the funds from Moderna. People who are vaccinated with Moderna and who are older than 65, as well as younger people who are at higher risk due to previous illnesses or their job, should receive a booster vaccination with half a dose of the drug at least six months after their previous second vaccination dose, according to the panel. Its recommendations are not binding, but the FDA typically follows them.
On Friday, the panel of experts wants to discuss possible booster vaccinations for people who have been vaccinated with the drug from Johnson & Johnson. About 170 million people in the US are vaccinated with Biontech / Pfizer or Moderna drugs, and about 15 million with Johnson & Johnson’s. (10/14/2021)
WHO: Majority of infections in Africa go unnoticed
The World Health Organization assumes that almost 86 percent of all corona infections in Africa go unnoticed. The number of all infections on the continent is estimated at 59 million – that is seven times more than the over eight million reported cases.
The high number of unreported cases can be explained by the fact that health facilities have so far focused on testing people with symptoms of the disease, which has led to extensive underreporting, according to the WHO. “With limited testing, we are still flying blind in far too many communities in Africa,” said WHO Regional Director for Africa Matshidiso Moeti. “What we’re seeing might just be the tip of the iceberg.”
So far, only 70 million Covid 19 tests have been reported on the continent with 1.3 billion inhabitants, the WHO said. By comparison, the United States performed more than 550 million tests with about a third of the population, while the United Kingdom performed more than 280 million tests with less than ten percent of the population of Africa. In total, more than 8.4 million corona cases have been registered in Africa, including 214,000 deaths. (14.10.2021)
Thailand allows vaccinated Germans to enter without quarantine
Germans vaccinated against the corona virus will soon be able to travel to Thailand again without having to be quarantined there. The authorities in the country have confirmed Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha’s tourist opening plan. According to a spokesman for the Covid Crisis Center (CCSA), quarantine-free entry will apply from November 1 for fully vaccinated people from five countries. In addition to Germany, these are Great Britain, the USA, Singapore and China.
Holiday guests from these states then only need a negative PCR test for entry. Quarantine is no longer necessary. Further details on the exact rules have not yet been released. However, from November onwards, more provinces are to be opened to tourists, including the capital Bangkok and the popular Krabi province with its islands and white beaches. The exact list is currently being drawn up, the newspaper reported Bangkok Post.
Prayut had announced the planned opening in a televised address on Monday evening and instructed the CCSA and the Ministry of Health to review the plan by the end of the week. On Thursday he reiterated that Thailand would be ready to open in two weeks. “Many countries want their citizens to visit Thailand,” he said. “It will be a small start so that people can earn a living again.”
At the same time, the authorities announced further easing of the measures currently still in force in many parts of the country. The night-time exit restrictions will be shortened from Saturday: instead of 10 p.m. to 4 a.m., they will then apply from 11 p.m. to 3 a.m. Restaurants and shopping centers can thus open longer again.
The tourism sector, which is extremely important for the country with 70 million inhabitants, has been almost completely on the ground for a year and a half. Since then, many people have lost their income. Last year, Thailand was still considered a model country in the fight against the pandemic – but since April the state has experienced its worst wave to date. The number of infections is now slowly falling. On Thursday, 11,200 new infections and 112 deaths related to Covid-19 were reported. (14.10.2021)