The number of people infected with the Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus is rising steadily. On Wednesday morning, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a seven-day incidence over 50 from 13 cities and districts in Bavaria – in some cases even significantly higher than in the Upper Palatinate city of Weiden with 86.6. According to Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU), the increase in incidence values was to be expected. “Perhaps the only surprising thing is that they rise so early,” he said on the phone. The outbreak is still “very diffuse”, but most of the people currently infected are people who have not yet been vaccinated.
“On Tuesday, the seven-day incidence in unvaccinated people in Bavaria was 58 per 100,000 inhabitants. In contrast, it is only 5.75 per 100,000 inhabitants for vaccinated people in Bavaria,” said the Ministry of Health. “Getting vaccinated is now the order of the day. The fourth wave is beginning to emerge unmistakably,” said Holetschek. In view of this development, there is growing concern as to whether school operations can start without restrictions after the holidays.
Nevio Zuber, the deputy spokesman for the state student council, said: “It is important to avoid further school closings at all costs.” Zuber makes no secret of the fact that he recommends “vaccination campaigns in schools in any case”. As early as the beginning of July, the state student council called for vaccination teams to be sent directly to the schools. But large-scale actions of this kind are still not planned by the state government.
There is therefore criticism from the opposition in the state parliament. There is a lack of “forward planning” both with the corona tests in schools and with regard to the systematic vaccination of schoolchildren. Ruth Waldmann, the health policy spokeswoman for the SPD parliamentary group, accused the state government of “messing around in an uncoordinated manner”. And: “Minister of Education Michael Piazolo has not bothered about anything. There are no vaccination programs in the schools.” Like the Greens, Waldmann is outraged at how much vaccine is thrown away in Bavaria. Now is the revenge “that no vaccination campaigns were prepared in the schools”.
Piazolo (FW) rejected this: “Of course, after the start of classes on September 14th, vaccinations will be carried out on site in schools.” But only “if vaccination centers, schools and school funding agencies agree on it”. Incidentally, the following applies: “Parents who want their children to be vaccinated can do so in vaccination centers and with general practitioners.” As SZ research has shown, however, many school principals in Bavaria are very concerned that their students could be exposed to social pressure if vaccination teams come directly to the schools. A view that Simone Fleischmann, President of the Bavarian Teachers’ Association, shares. Vaccinations on site should “not be a school event,” she demands.
Werner Bumeder (CSU), district administrator in the Lower Bavarian district of Dingolfing-Landau, is confident that after the holidays “a fairly regular school operation” will be possible. His district currently has the second highest incidence value in the country behind Weiden – 80.7 on Wednesday. Since the value has been above the 50 mark for days, public life in the Dingolfing-Landau district has been restricted by stricter measures since Monday. For example, only ten people are allowed to come together in public spaces and on privately used areas, and this is limited to a maximum of three households. Stricter requirements also apply to unvaccinated people. You need to get tested before going to sports and cultural events or swimming pools, among other things.
According to Bumeder, it was not foreseeable that the seven-day incidence would rise so rapidly in his circle. “We have had a few cases among seasonal workers, but the majority can be traced back to those returning from traveling. Mostly from Croatia,” he said. The latter led to “subsequent follow-up cases” “in the family environment, for example.” “Some families who have their roots in Eastern Europe and who have now visited relatives during their holidays and got infected there have also increased the incidence,” Bumeder is certain.
Otherwise, what is currently emerging in many places in Bavaria is confirmed: “We have broken down the highest incidence currently in the unvaccinated age group between 15 and 30.” In view of the continuing low utilization of the intensive care units with Covid 19 patients, Bumeder advises that restrictive measures should no longer only be based on the incidence values, but also on the hospital occupancy rate and the vaccination rate. Health Minister Holetschek emphasized that a revised version of the regulation on infection protection can be expected on Monday. “The aim of my house is to implement the decisions of the Prime Minister’s Conference one-to-one,” he said. Accordingly, Bumeder can assume that his advice in Bavaria will soon be a reality.