In North Rhine-Westphalia, the number of reported corona cases per 100,000 inhabitants and week continues to rise. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the seven-day incidence as of Friday morning is 83.4. The day before, the health authorities had registered 71.6 new infections. Within one day, 4008 new corona infections were added, and six new deaths related to the corona virus were reported.
In the meantime, 14 districts or urban districts have exceeded the weekly incidence of 100 again: Leverkusen are at the top with 149.6, Wuppertal with 130.9 and Bielefeld with 130.5. Only Kleve was below the value of 35 with 30.7.
The role of incidence, which was previously the basis for many corona restrictions, has now changed. In the new Corona Protection Ordinance that will apply from this Friday, a seven-day incidence of 35 remains the only code from which the “3-G rules” (vaccinated, recovered or tested) apply to visits to indoor restaurants, for example. (08/20/2021)
Spahn is considering offering a booster to everyone
Health Minister Jens Spahn is considering offering all citizens a Corona booster vaccination. The countries are now gradually starting the so-called booster vaccinations in the care facilities and for particularly vulnerable people, he told the editorial network Germany (RND). In addition, those who had previously only received vector vaccines could be vaccinated again. “In a second step, we can then think about offering everyone else a booster,” said the minister.
“A booster vaccination is covered by the approvals, it strengthens and extends the vaccination protection,” he explained. Sufficient vaccine is also available. In his own words, Spahn mainly relies on the doctor’s offices for the booster vaccinations. Many vaccination centers went on standby in late September, he said. “But the doctor’s offices are still there. They alone managed up to five million vaccinations a week.”
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach expects a significant increase in so-called vaccination breakthroughs. “Breakthrough infections occur in people whose corona vaccination was more than six months ago,” he tells the newspapers of the Funke media group. With all corona vaccines, the risk of a vaccination breakthrough increases after six months. Lauterbach also expressed concern about the possible consequences of vaccination breakthroughs: “According to a new study, 19 percent of people with vaccination breakthroughs have a long-covid problem.” (08/20/2021)
RKI registers 9,280 new corona infections – incidence at 48.8
The seven-day incidence continues to rise. According to the Robert Koch Institute on Friday morning, it was 48.8 – the previous day the value was 44.2, a week ago it was 30.1. The health authorities in Germany reported 9,280 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. This is evident from the figures that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 4:06 a.m. A week ago, the value for Germany was 5578 infections. (08/20/2021)
RKI: The fourth wave has started
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the fourth wave of the corona pandemic has started in Germany. The proportion of positive samples under the PCR tests in laboratories had risen from four to six percent within a week by mid-August, it says in the institute’s latest weekly report. Younger age groups are particularly affected by infections. “This clearly shows the beginning of the fourth wave, which is picking up speed, particularly due to infections among the young adult population,” the report says.
The RKI continues to rate the risk to the health of people who have not yet been vaccinated or have only been vaccinated once in Germany as high overall. For fully vaccinated people, the researchers rate it as moderate. According to the analysis, there has been an increase in the incidence in Germany since the beginning of July, especially in the age groups of ten to 49 year olds. A similar increase in this population group was observed in summer 2020 – but only five weeks later, i.e. from the end of September to the beginning of October. At that time there was no vaccination protection. So far this summer, the more contagious Delta variant has dominated – now 99 percent.
The RKI’s weekly report appears with a time delay. Most of the results in the most recent analysis relate to data from the first week of August. (08/20/2021)
Drosten: Most of them do not need a booster vaccination in autumn
According to the virologist Christian Drosten, no booster vaccination will be necessary in autumn for the majority of those vaccinated. “The protective effect of the corona vaccine is much better than, for example, the influenza vaccines,” he told the German press agency. Drosten does not expect a new virus variant that is resistant to the available vaccines to appear anytime soon.
For old people and certain high-risk patients, Drosten believes that a booster vaccination this autumn makes sense. “After six months, the antibody level acquired through the vaccination goes down significantly, especially in very old people.” In special situations such as retirement homes, a refresher is therefore conceivable. In terms of numbers, this would hardly conflict with the international shortage of vaccines. For the rest of the population, an age level may be defined at some point from which a booster vaccination would make sense. “This autumn, however, it is important to first close the vaccination gaps among those over 60 years of age.” (08/19/2021)
Pediatricians are critical of school vaccinations
The professional association of paediatricians has criticized the plans of several federal states to vaccinate children and adolescents in and around schools. “The young people in the schools are very much under peer pressure, so that a free and independent decision is difficult,” said the national spokesman for the association, the pediatrician Jakob Maske, the editorial network Germany (RND). Mask instead advised vaccination in practices: “Vaccinating with your own pediatrician has the advantage that the doctor knows the family and the environment well and can advise parents better on whether the vaccination makes sense for the family or not. “
After the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) made a recommendation to vaccinate children and adolescents, vaccination campaigns for this age group have started or are being planned in several federal states, for example with mobile vaccination teams at schools, “family vaccination days” in vaccination centers or vaccinations in leisure facilities or animal parks.
The Association of Education and Upbringing (VBE) agrees with the pediatricians’ criticism. Although the Stiko vaccination recommendation is generally welcomed, an informed decision by the affected children and their parents is better possible with the family doctor or pediatrician. “We think it is questionable whether this can be achieved if the vaccination takes place in mobile vaccination vehicles in front of the school,” said the association chairman Udo Beckmann. He also warns of possible conflicts if parents or young people who are against a vaccination see themselves harassed by the presence of vaccination teams. “It helps, of course, that we have more security in schools if the twelve to 17-year-olds also get vaccinated, but voluntariness has to be maintained,” said Beckmann of the German press agency.
The German Teachers’ Association, however, endorsed the plans to carry out vaccinations in schools. “Anything that quickly increases safety in schools is good,” said association boss Heinz-Peter Meidinger to the RND. “It is absolutely clear that a high vaccination quota for schoolchildren is probably the most important building block for more health protection in schools during the pandemic and thus ultimately for an early return to normal school operations.” In his own words, he does not share the fear that conflicts could be carried into the schools and that group pressure could be exerted on pupils who are not willing to vaccinate or their parents. There are ways to organize vaccinations in such a way that school operations are barely affected and the necessary anonymity and voluntariness are absolutely preserved, said Meidinger. (08/19/2021)
Cologne Carnival plans “largely normal session”
After a conversation between the carnivalists and representatives of the state government of North Rhine-Westphalia, the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee is assuming a “largely” normal session in 2022 for those who have been vaccinated, those who have recovered and those who have been tested using a PCR test. Unlike in Düsseldorf, where only immunized persons are allowed to participate in some hall events, a negative PCR test also enables everyone who has neither been vaccinated nor recovered to participate in balls, meetings and parties indoors, it said in a message.
A PCR test must then be submitted for indoor dance events with a seven-day incidence of over 35, unless one has been vaccinated or has recovered. The so-called 3-G rule – vaccinated, recovered or tested – should also apply to removals, whereby a quick test is sufficient for the spectators in the fresh air, as the Cologne Carnival Festival Committee explained. How this should be controlled, there are agreements between the organizers and the authorities. “The revelers now have the key to carefree and safe celebrations in their own hands,” said Festival Committee President Christoph Kuckelkorn.
According to the announcement, Klaus-Ludwig Fess, President of the Federation of German Carnival, emphasized the role model from the point of view of the carnivalists. The NRW model appears as a “blueprint for many events throughout Germany” and enables vaccinated and recovered people to “celebrate carnival largely normally” without slamming the door to everyone else. The Düsseldorf Carnivalists are more restrictive at some events: The Düsseldorf Carneval Committee wants to only allow vaccinated and convalescents at its own hall events. This is intended to provide targeted vaccination incentives. (08/18/2021)