The total number of proven corona infections in Germany has exceeded the five million mark. The health authorities in Germany reported 33 498 new corona infections to the RKI within one day, so that 5 021 469 infections have now been recorded since the beginning of the pandemic. This is evident from the numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard from 4:02 a.m. on Sunday. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections are not detected.
The RKI gave the nationwide seven-day incidence at 289.0, which is again a high. For comparison: the previous day the number of new infections reported per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 277.4, a week ago it was 191.5 (previous month: 67.0). According to the new information, 55 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 37 deaths.
The most important parameter for a possible tightening of the corona restrictions, the number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days, was given by the RKI on Friday at 4.70 (Thursday: 4.65). The value will not be published on the weekend. With the indicator it must be taken into account that hospital admissions are sometimes reported with delay.
A nationwide threshold, from when the situation can be viewed critically, is not provided for the incidence of hospitalization, among other things because of large regional differences. The previous high was around 15.5 around Christmas time. The RKI stated the number of people recovered as 4,477,900. The number of people who died with or with a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 97,672. (November 14th)
Merkel expects “difficult weeks”
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) has once again urged people in Germany to get vaccinated against the corona virus. “If we stand together, if we think about our own protection and caring for others, then we can save our country a lot this winter,” she said in her video podcast published on Saturday. She is very concerned about the sharp increase in new corona infections, the high number of intensive care patients and the again high number of deaths, especially in regions with a relatively low vaccination rate, said Merkel.
“The weeks ahead of us are very difficult,” emphasized the Executive Chancellor. Doctors, nurses and intensive care units are again on the verge of being overwhelmed. It is now important that the federal and state governments act together, especially when using the so-called hospitalization index, she said. In the coming week, the federal and state governments will, among other things, discuss a threshold value for the index on the number of corona patients in hospitals, from which additional steps must be taken.
A higher vaccination rate is also necessary to get the pandemic under control, said Merkel. Countries like Portugal and Spain showed how it can be done. She urged everyone who had not been vaccinated so far: “Think again.” The Chancellor also advocated more speed with booster vaccinations. “Too little, disappointingly little has happened here in the past few months.” The booster vaccinations are a “real chance to break the severe autumn and winter wave of the pandemic”. (13.11.2021)
Bundeswehr wants to mobilize up to 12,000 soldiers to help offices and clinics
The Bundeswehr is preparing one mirrors-According to the report for a nationwide corona emergency. The responsible Lieutenant General Martin Schelleis wants to mobilize up to 12,000 soldiers to support the clinics and health authorities. The soldiers should therefore also be available for booster vaccinations and rapid tests in front of nursing homes and clinics.
In the winter of 2020 and in the spring of 2021, the Bundeswehr had more than 10,000 soldiers deployed for the same purpose at times. At the moment almost 3,000 are on standby to support civil institutions, of which, according to Spiegel, a good 630 are in use.
Scientists appeal to politics: “Every day of waiting costs human lives”
35 leading doctors and other experts from all over Germany have called on the federal and state governments to change course in corona policy. Instead of “passive waiting” to increasingly shift the responsibility for breaking the fourth wave “to the discretion of each individual”, politicians must finally “fully meet their responsibility”, write the researchers in a three-sided appeal that the Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger and the editorial network Germany published.
“Every day of waiting costs human lives,” says the text under the leadership of the Cologne internist Michael Hallek and the Braunschweig virologist Melanie Brinkmann. “We are deeply disappointed about the threat to social cohesion and the repeated negligence in dealing with the well-being of the people who depend on the protection of the state.” The researchers are calling for a national crisis team to be set up with experts from virology, medicine and public health, but also practitioners with management experience, for example from clinics or companies. (13.11.2021)
Seehofer: “Nobody can understand the whole mess anymore”
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) calls for clear nationwide rules in the fight against the fourth corona wave and criticizes Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU). “Nobody can understand the whole mess: vaccination centers open, vaccination centers closed – continued wages in quarantine yes, then no again – free test, fee-based test. if he doesn’t get paid wages afterwards in quarantine? “, he says Augsburger Allgemeine.
It was a serious mistake by the Federal Minister of Health to bring the end of the so-called epidemic situation into play, according to Seehofer. The CSU politician calls on the executive federal government and the possible traffic light coalition to cooperate: “We must now all together demonstrate the art of governance – those who are still in government and those who are about to do so. The issue is far too serious and far too dangerous to argue about for weeks. ” According to a report by Rheinische Post the CDU / CSU parliamentary group wants to apply formally on Thursday to extend the epidemic situation of national scope beyond November 25th – the possible future government coalition of the SPD, Greens and FDP has so far rejected this. (13.11.2021)
Green health ministers oppose the traffic light parties’ corona plans
The three Green Health Ministers of Hesse, Brandenburg and Baden-Württemberg jointly call for the so-called epidemic situation to be extended to a national level. You are opposing the plans of the possible future traffic light government, which the Greens are also negotiating. “In view of the current infection dynamics and the burden on hospitals, which in some regions are already on the verge of absolute overload,” the extension is necessary, according to a statement by Kai Klose (Hesse), Ursula Nonnemacher (Brandenburg) and Manne Lucha ( Baden-Württemberg), which is available to the German Press Agency. “This ensures that all the measures required by the experts can be implemented.”
If there is no majority for this in the Bundestag, “we need states legal possibilities in order to be able to adopt further measures in an emergency”, says the statement further – for example through a state opening clause. “To exclude possibly necessary instruments does not do justice to the situation”, it says in the paper of the three state ministers.
The “epidemic situation” established by the Bundestag serves as the legal basis for comprehensive measures. Despite the increasing number of infections, it should expire on November 25, according to the plans of the future traffic light coalition. The SPD, Greens and FDP want to replace this legal basis for corona restrictions in the countries with a new regulation that includes a smaller catalog of measures. (13.11.2021)
The intensive care doctor calls for a booster vaccination after five months
Intensive care physician President Gernot Marx has called for faster booster vaccinations in view of the rapidly increasing number of corona cases: “With the experience from Israel, it seems to me to make sense not to fully exhaust the six-month period, but to refresh the vaccinations from an interval of five months,” said the President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi) of the New Osnabrück Newspaper. It is crucial that as many people as possible receive the third injection, emphasized the intensive care doctor. “The faster the booster vaccinations come, the shallower the wave will be,” he said. “It’s the most powerful tool to slow down the virus and minimize vaccination breakthroughs.” (13.11.2021)
Protests against partial lockdown in the Netherlands
At least five demonstrators have been arrested in the Netherlands during violent protests against the tightening of corona measures. They are alleged to have thrown stones and fireworks at a rally in The Hague and to have defied instructions from the police, as reported by the Dutch news agency ANP. The demonstration was broken up by the police with water cannons after a riot on Friday evening.
In view of the rapidly increasing numbers of infections and patients, the Netherlands has imposed a partial lockdown. Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced on Friday that the tightened measures should initially apply for three weeks. From Saturday on, restaurants and supermarkets have to close at 8 p.m., other shops at 6 p.m. The 1.5 meter distance rule will be reintroduced, citizens should work at home again and receive a maximum of four visitors at home. Sports competitions must take place without an audience, this also applies to football games. Cinemas and theaters are excluded from the shutdown. As before, visitors only have to prove that they have been vaccinated, tested or recovered. It wasn’t until the end of September that the country relaxed most of the rules.
The number of new corona infections is now well over 16,000 daily and the incidence of well over 500 is twice as high as in Germany. The situation, especially in intensive care units, is so precarious that hospitals are warning of the emergency. Resistance to a limited lockdown is great. Entrepreneurs, sports associations and innkeepers reacted indignantly. The restaurant association warned that innkeepers would not obey the rules. “The limit has been reached. Entrepreneurs are angry,” said the chairman of the restaurant association, Robèr Willemsen. (13.11.2021)