The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach supports proposals from the SPD, Greens and FDP to end the epidemic situation. “The key issues paper does justice to the fight against the corona pandemic. It is a good compromise between further possible measures for the countries and a rejection of hard cuts such as lockdowns or curfews,” says Lauterbach Rheinische Post. Nobody needs a lockdown or school closings anymore. In the spring, however, it will first have to be shown whether all corona measures could fall from March 21st. That also depends on whether virus variants still occur. “It is clear, however, that most of those who have not been vaccinated by then will either have been vaccinated, recovered or unfortunately have died, because the infection process with severe courses primarily affects those who refuse to be vaccinated.” (28.10.2021)
Singapore reports new record values
According to the Ministry of Health (MOH), Singapore has the most new infections since the start of the virus pandemic, with 5,324 new cases within a day. “The number of infections is unusually high today, which is mainly due to the many positive cases that were detected by the test laboratories within a few hours in the afternoon,” explains the MOH. The unusual increase within a relatively short period of time is still being investigated. About 84 percent of Singapore’s population are vaccinated. (28.10.2021)
Hospital society warns of high utilization of the intensive care units
The German Hospital Association (DKG) is warning of the increasing number of coronaviruses against high utilization of the intensive care units, which again means that surgeries that are not urgently needed have to be postponed. “We are in a critical situation of the pandemic,” said association chief Gerald Gaß the editorial network Germany (RND / Thursday). The number of patients treated with a Covid infection in hospital has increased significantly within a week. Almost 40 percent more patients are in the normal ward than a week ago. In the intensive care units, it is 15 percent more. Even if the hospitals can do this, it will not take place without restricting normal operations. Then the doctors in the clinics would have to postpone plannable, less urgent treatments again. (28.10.2021)
Traffic light parties want to end the corona emergency
According to the plans of the SPD, FDP and the Greens, the corona pandemic will no longer be an “epidemic of national scope” in Germany from the end of November, but the countries should be able to continue to impose corona measures until spring. The three parties, which are likely to form the future federal government, presented a proposal for an interim solution until March 20, 2022 on Wednesday, which the Bundestag and Bundesrat are to adopt.
Accordingly, the period of the “epidemic situation” will formally end on November 25th, on the basis of which the federal and state governments have been able to adopt far-reaching restrictions for one and a half years. The countries should get a “safe legal framework” for lighter restrictions by the beginning of spring, as SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese said. You can then, among other things, prescribe a mask requirement, access rules only for vaccinated, convalescent and tested people, hygiene concepts, distance requirements and the recording of contact data.
The SPD, Greens and FDP have agreed on this procedure; In the next four weeks, a draft law is to be drawn up and passed. Since more and more people are vaccinated against Corona, the German health system can cope with the pandemic, Wiese said. “Measures suitable for everyday use” such as masks or hygiene rules are still needed in autumn and winter in view of the increasing corona numbers. School closings, lockdowns or curfews “will not happen with us”.
Green parliamentary group leader Katrin Göring-Eckardt said it was also about protecting people who, at least so far, have not been able to be vaccinated against corona – especially children, many of whom are currently infected with the corona virus. Now the federal states would get an “instrument box on the table” in order to be able to act depending on the local infection situation. Companies will no longer be obliged to offer home offices in the future.
The “epidemic situation” was first established by the Bundestag in March 2020 and has since been extended several times by parliament, most recently until November 25th. This enables the federal government and the state governments to order central corona measures in a simplified way without the consent of parliaments. If it is not extended again, according to the Infection Protection Act, the federal states still have the option of determining the need for further corona measures through their state parliaments; phasing out would not automatically mean the end of measures. In the countries, however, warnings are given against a “patchwork quilt” and the associated lack of acceptance.
The previous situation has weakened the citizens’ trust in parliaments, complained FDP parliamentary group leader Marco Buschmann. Now the initiative will be put back into their hands. At the same time, they want to delete the controversial catalog of measures from the Infection Protection Act, which allows far-reaching interventions up to and including curfews. This will be history from November 25th, said Buschmann. It will be replaced by a “manageable catalog of low-threshold measures” that the federal states can adopt by March 20. There are plans for hygiene rules, the collection of contact details and the obligation to wear a mask. (27.10.2021)
Cruise ship from Passau is stuck in Vienna
A cruise ship from Germany is under quarantine in Vienna, 178 people are affected. That reports the ORF citing the city’s medical crisis team. 80 people on board the ship tested positive for Corona, it is said as a reason. According to the report, the ship had sailed from Passau to Austria and is now anchored at the Nussdorf lock. A way is being sought how the passengers can return to Passau. (27.10.2021)
Austria with annual record for new corona infections
Austria has an annual record for new corona infections. Within 24 hours, 4,261 cases were counted, as the health and interior ministries reported on Wednesday. The last time the infections were at this level was the end of 2020. The seven-day incidence per 100,000 inhabitants climbed to 280.
According to the information, 250 Covid patients are in intensive care units. From 500 and 600 intensive care patients, significant restrictions are provided for unvaccinated persons. The highest number of new infections was recorded again in Upper Austria – the federal state with the lowest vaccination rate. (10/27/2021)
Teachers’ Association calls for a return to the mask requirement in schools
The German Teachers’ Association is in favor of reintroducing the mask requirement in schools. The background to this is the increasing number of infections among children and adolescents and the fact that there is no approved vaccine for children under the age of twelve. It is important to avoid a renewed closure of the schools “at all costs”, said association president Heinz-Peter Meidinger the editorial network Germany. He sees the reintroduction of the mask requirement in elementary schools as particularly urgent (27.10.2021).
Seven-day incidence is increasing
The nationwide seven-day incidence has risen to 118.0, according to the Robert Koch Institute. The previous day the value was 113.0, a week ago it was 80.4. In addition, the RKI reports 23 212 new corona infections. A week ago the value was 17 015 infections.
In addition, 114 new deaths were recorded within 24 hours. A week ago there were 92 deaths. The number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days was given by the RKI on Wednesday as 3.07 (Tuesday: 2.95). The previous high was around 15.5 around Christmas 2020. (10/27/2021)
US Advisory Board Approves Biontech Vaccination for Five to Eleven Year Olds
An independent FDA advisory committee is in favor of approving the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine in children aged five to eleven. The FDA does not need to follow the experts’ suggestions, but it usually does. At the beginning of October, the partners applied for emergency approval for the corresponding deployment in the USA. The vaccine has already been approved for children over the age of twelve.
A final FDA decision is expected later this week. The CDC health authority must then deal with it formally. According to the White House, a vaccination campaign for the approximately 28 million affected children in the USA could start as early as early November. The government will deliver 15 million doses of vaccine to paediatricians, clinics and pharmacies within a few days of approval, it said. The German company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer have also applied for approval of their corona vaccine for children of this age group in Europe. (10/27/2021)
Stiko boss Mertens is skeptical about vaccinations from the age of five
The chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, is cautious about corona vaccinations for children from the age of five. “The lower the disease burden in a group, the safer the vaccination has to be,” says Mertens Rheinische Post. For a weighing decision on a recommendation, the expected positive effects – clinical or psychosocial – for the children and possible residual risks for growing children would have to be “as reasonably quantitatively comprehensible as possible”. In the US, vaccinations for children aged five and over could start as early as early November. “The disease burden in children in the USA is apparently higher than in Germany.” (10/27/2021)