The virologist Christian Drosten 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 waves that we will probably see again in October,” said the scientist from the Berlin Charité on Tuesday evening in an excerpt from the podcast “Coronavirus Update” by NDR-Info.
The previous increase in the incidence was due in particular to testing in schools after the end of the summer vacation and imported cases – and, according to Drosten’s assessment, was not necessarily the start of the winter wave. In view of the current quota of around 64 percent fully vaccinated in the population, this year with the beginning of the wave, the corona expert said that it would be at a point in time like last year. At that time, in the second half of October, it was clear “that we are going into an exponential increase again”.
Closing the vaccination gaps must be a goal for society as a whole, stressed Drosten. It is important to convince people who have not yet been vaccinated or to get them to get vaccinated in some other way. This is no longer a scientific task, but a political one. The virologist assessed the current vaccination progress as inadequate. “The numbers look bad.” Denmark, for example, is in a significantly better position than Germany. Drosten referred to the uncertainty that possibly more people in this country have already been vaccinated than previously recorded in the reporting system. This is a “good hope” at the moment, but should not be the basis for decisions and planning. (29.09.2021)
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 by 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)
US airline fires 600 unvaccinated employees
The US airline United Airlines is laying off almost 600 employees who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 and who have no health or religious exemption. “This was an incredibly difficult decision, but the safety of our team has always been our top priority,” said CEO Scott Kirby and President Brett Hart about the decision. The affected employees could still save their jobs if they were vaccinated before the official dismissal interview. (29.09.2021)
Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss wants to terminate unvaccinated cabin crew
The Swiss Lufthansa subsidiary Swiss wants to terminate cabin crew who cannot be vaccinated. The airline introduced compulsory vaccination for crews in August. Everyone must be fully vaccinated by December 1st. The background to this is that many countries only want to allow flight personnel into the country who have been vaccinated. More than half of the staff has already been vaccinated, the company said.
Those who persist in not getting vaccinated should expect to be terminated at the end of January 2022. Employees who need more time to think about it are allowed to suspend their employment for around six months and have a right of return. “Individual solutions are being sought for crew members who demonstrably cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons,” said a spokesman. (28.09.2021)
Japan is lifting the months-long corona emergency
Japan will lift the corona emergency at the end of the month. This was announced by the outgoing Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga. After the scheduled end of the measures on September 30th, for the first time since the beginning of April, no region of the island kingdom is in a state of emergency or quasi-emergency. The number of new infections and patients with severe symptoms has decreased dramatically, Suga said in parliament.
The restrictions are gradually being relaxed. The emergency in Tokyo and 18 other prefectures essentially stipulates that restaurants do not serve alcohol and close earlier. From now on alcohol is allowed again, but the restaurants are called upon to close early for another month. Japan had repeatedly extended and expanded what was now the fifth state of emergency. However, Japan has never imposed a lockdown with tough curfews like in other countries since the beginning of the pandemic. (28.09.2021)
Pediatrician President wants to make vaccinations mandatory for educators, teachers and nurses
The president of the professional association of paediatricians (BVKJ), Thomas Fischbach, has brought up a corona vaccination for certain professional groups. “If many employees in daycare centers, schools and clinics continue to refuse vaccinations, the legislature should seriously consider compulsory vaccination in these sensitive areas,” said Fischbach New Osnabrück Newspaper. “Anyone who deals with vulnerable groups and rejects their own immunization has turned their minds off.”
In addition to politics, the head of the association also sees company doctors from clinics as responsible. “You have to educate and remind the medical staff of their duty to help sick people and to protect them from infection,” said the BVKJ President. Anyone who refuses to do so must feel the consequences, “which hurt”. Fischbach pointed out that hospitals or nursing homes could release vaccination refusals. “If there are still outbreaks in nursing homes after months of excess vaccine, you have to tighten the reins, and a lack of skilled workers should not be a counter-argument,” he said. (28.09.2021)
RKI: Incidence drops to 60.3
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 4171 new positive tests. That is 493 fewer than on Tuesday a week ago, when 4664 new infections were reported. The seven-day incidence drops to 60.3 from 61.7 the previous day. 101 more people died related to the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 93 504 within 24 hours. In total, more than 4.2 million corona tests have so far been positive in Germany. (28.09.2021)
Biden gets a booster shot
US President Joe Biden has received his third corona vaccination. “I know I don’t look like that, but I’m over 65 years old,” the 78-year-old joked at the White House while getting vaccinated on camera. The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved corona booster vaccinations with the agent from Biontech / Pfizer for the elderly and risk groups last week. The second vaccination must have been at least six months ago.
His 70-year-old wife Jill will also get the third shot, Biden said. “I want to make it clear that booster vaccinations are important, but the most important thing is that more people are vaccinated.” The vaccination campaign in the USA has lost momentum significantly in the past few months. So far, 55.3 percent of the population of around 330 million people there have been fully vaccinated. (27.09.2021)
Chile ends pandemic emergency thanks to falling new infections
Chile has ended the pandemic emergency. The responsible authorities said the reason was a decline in new corona infections. Chile declared a state of emergency in early 2020. This enabled the government to impose night curfews and order quarantine in hard-hit districts. In addition, restrictions on freedom of movement and the number of people at events should fall. Chile announced 640 new infections for Monday. (27.09.2021)
Study: Due to Corona, life expectancy is falling more sharply than it has been since the Second World War
In the wake of the corona pandemic, according to a study, life expectancy in many countries has fallen more sharply than it has been in Western Europe since the Second World War. In some countries, the progress of the past few years has been ruined in a short time, report researchers at the Leverhulme Center for Demographic Science at the University of Oxford International Journal of Epidemiology. The decline in men was therefore greater than in women.
For the study, the scientists examined data from 29 countries, most of them from Europe, including Germany, as well as Chile and the USA. In 2020, life expectancy fell in 27 of these countries and by at least half a year in 22 countries. “In Western European countries such as Spain, England and Wales, Italy, Belgium, such a decline in life expectancy in a single year at the time of birth was last observed during World War II,” said co-author José Manuel Aburto.
The life expectancy of men fell the most in the US – 2.2 years compared to 2019. In the US, the rise in working-age mortality under 60 is particularly noteworthy, said co-author Ridhi Kashyap. In most European countries, on the other hand, mortality among those over 60 has increased in particular. A study in British Medical Journal pointed out the drastically reduced life expectancy in the USA.
Life expectancy is the age a newborn baby is likely to reach if the death rate continues to develop as it did when it was born. According to the Federal Statistical Office, life expectancy in Germany in August 2021 was 78.6 years for boys and 83.4 years for girls. It was also known that in 2020 mortality increased compared to 2019, especially for men and women over the age of 75. (27.09.2021)