The number of corona cases in Germany has increased slightly again. The Robert Koch Institute reported 8 517 confirmed infections within 24 hours on Saturday morning. This increased the seven-day incidence to 64.4 cases in seven days, converted to 100,000 inhabitants. On Thursday the incidence value was 64.3. According to the RKI, another 66 people died within the past day as a result of a Sars-CoV-2 infection. (02.10.2021)
German companies save 28 billion euros by eliminating business trips
The companies in Germany have saved billions of dollars due to the elimination of business trips during the corona pandemic. That is the result of a study by the employer-related institute of the German economy, about which the Rheinische Post first reported.
In 2020, 17.2 billion euros were saved, in 2021 around 11.3 billion euros so far. In this calculation, the savings from the elimination of travel costs are already offset against the costs that result from the waiver of business trips, such as the development of digital conference software.
“Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, most companies have been making significantly fewer business trips than before. Instead, many meetings have taken place virtually,” says the study, which included 17 different surveys. It was carried out by the Association of German Travel Management (VDR) between September 2020 and August 2021 at representative companies.
The authors of the study anticipate that many meetings will be replaced by virtual conferences in the future and that companies will save money as a result. The pre-crisis level for business trips will probably no longer be reached. (10/01/2021)
Romania and Lithuania will become high risk areas
With Romania and Lithuania, the federal government classifies two other EU countries as corona high-risk areas from Sunday. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute. Anyone who has not been fully vaccinated or recovered and who enters from there has to be in quarantine for ten days and can only get rid of it after five days with a negative test. So far, Slovenia is the only member state of the European Union that is fully classified as a high risk area.
Around 70 countries around the world are wholly or partially on the risk list. In addition to Romania and Lithuania, Belarus and El Salvador in Latin America will also join on Sunday. Only African Mozambique will be deleted. Countries and regions with a particularly high risk of infection are classified as high-risk areas. But not only the infection numbers are decisive for this. Other criteria are the speed at which the virus is spreading, the burden on the health system or a lack of data on the corona situation. (10/01/2021)
Australians will be allowed to travel abroad again from November
Australia will reopen its borders in November for the first time since the beginning of the corona pandemic. Fully vaccinated citizens and residents can then travel abroad again. When they return, they have to be in quarantine at home for seven days – instead of the previous 14 days in isolation in an expensive facility. Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced this on Friday. The reason for the long-awaited relaxation is that in most regions of the country a vaccination rate of more than 80 percent will be achieved. The previous quarantine rules apply to those who have not been vaccinated. “It is time to give the Australians their lives back,” said the conservative politician.
A year and a half ago, the authorities closed the country’s borders completely and largely cut off Australia from the rest of the world. They pursued a “zero covid strategy”, which worked well until the delta variant spread. For a long time, citizens enjoyed many freedoms that seemed unthinkable in other countries. The downside: Many Australians living abroad have not been able to travel home and visit relatives and friends since the beginning of the pandemic because the costs for flights and quarantine were extremely high and permits were difficult to come by. Conversely, the approximately 25 million inhabitants of Australia were largely stuck in the country without the possibility of staying abroad.
The government in Canberra is also working on the possibility of quarantine-free travel corridors with different countries, it said. Such a regulation already existed in April with neighboring New Zealand. The so-called “Trans-Tasman bubble” was stopped again in July after Australia reported rising numbers of cases. It is still unclear when tourists from all over the world will be able to travel to the fifth continent again. (10/01/2021)
RKI expects corona increase for autumn and winter
In the corona pandemic, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) expects the number of infections to rise again in autumn and winter. This is what the institute writes in its weekly report. The reasons given are in particular a “still large number” of unvaccinated people and the increase in indoor contacts.
The EU health authority ECDC had previously warned of a worsening corona situation in Europe this autumn in view of the sometimes insufficient vaccination quotas. For several weeks, the number of infections in this country has been on the decline again. Experts explained this, among other things, with the decline in travel after the summer vacation. In the report, the RKI also points out that the vaccination rate achieved, the weather that is still quite mild in many places and the measures that are still in force in many areas could play a role.
Virologist Christian Drosten also considers the current calming of the nationwide corona infection numbers to be a temporary phenomenon. It can already be seen that the incidence in eastern German federal states is apparently picking up speed again regardless of the end of the holiday. “I think there are now signs of the autumn and winter wave, which we will probably see again in October,” said the scientist from the Berlin Charité in the new episode of the podcast “Coronavirus Update” from NDR-Info.
The previous increase in the incidence was due in particular to testing in schools after the end of the summer vacation and to imported cases – and, according to Drosten’s assessment, was not necessarily the start of the winter wave. (01.10.2021)
Hospital boss: Vaccination refusals act inconsiderately
The chairman of the board of the German Hospital Society, Gerald Gaß, accuses people who do not want to be vaccinated for inconsiderate behavior and calls for them to be vaccinated. “We live in a free and democratic society in which there is basically an individual right to illness for everyone. This right to illness must not, however, become a danger to others,” wrote Gaß in an appeal from which the editorial network Germany cited . 90 percent of Covid patients in intensive care units are not vaccinated, and only very few have medical reasons. “It is an important act of solidarity and social cohesion to protect the scarce and valuable human and medical-technical resources in our hospitals for the seriously ill patients who urgently need them by vaccinating oneself.” (09/30/2021)
3-G rules in France now also for children from the age of twelve
In France, the 3G rules and the mandatory health passport in the fight against the corona pandemic apply from Thursday to children from the age of twelve and two months. When visiting leisure and sports facilities, in cinemas, restaurants and cafés or on long-distance trains, adults will no longer have to submit proof of vaccination, recovery or a negative test (3 G). Since children can only be vaccinated from the age of twelve, a period of two months has been given to obtain full vaccination protection.
While adults have to show a digital health pass with the relevant evidence in a mobile phone app, children and young people are also allowed to present a paper document. Adults can also save the relevant QR codes for the entire family and children on a mobile phone. With proof that children and adolescents cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons, they are exempt from the 3G rules. (09/30/2021)
Every third Covid 19 patient suffers from long-term effects
According to a study, more than a third of Covid 19 patients suffer from at least one long-term symptom, namely in the period of three to six months after the infection. The Oxford University and UK National Institute for Health Research survey looked at more than 270,000 people recovering from Covid-19. The most common symptoms are breathing problems, tiredness, pain and anxiety. The exact causes of the symptoms, their severity and their possible duration are not discussed. (09/29/2021)
Lauterbach rejects compulsory vaccination for teachers and nurses
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach rejects compulsory vaccination for teachers, educators and nursing staff. He spoke to it in the New Osnabrück Newspaper against a request from the President of Pediatricians, Thomas Fischbach.
The SPD politician said the vaccination rate for teachers and daycare staff was very high. “According to my observation and assessment, it is well over 90 percent.” The problem in schools and daycare centers is not the unvaccinated educators and teachers, but that children and young people infect each other.
Regarding mandatory vaccination in hospitals, Lauterbach said: “And since we also have a high vaccination rate in the health professions, I see no reason to introduce mandatory vaccination for doctors and nurses.”
Fischbach had said: “If many employees in daycare centers, schools and clinics continue to refuse vaccinations, the legislature should seriously consider compulsory vaccination in these sensitive areas.” And: “Anyone who deals with vulnerable groups and rejects their own immunization has switched off their minds.” (29.09.2021)