Altmaier: No reason for new measures
For Federal Minister of Economics Peter Altmaier (CDU), a renewed closure of shops and restaurants in the Corona crisis is out of the question. “We must and will prevent a new lockdown. It would be devastating for many shops and restaurants that have been closed for months,” Altmaier told “Bild am Sonntag”. As long as there is no threat of overloading the health system, there is no reason for new measures. Vaccinated or younger people usually have no symptoms at all in the event of an infection, and the intensive care bed capacity in Germany is far from its utilization limit.
From the perspective of medium-sized businesses, Altmaier’s statements are indirectly a cause for concern. “Because apparently he is reacting to corresponding considerations in the federal government,” said the managing director of the Federal Association of Medium-Sized Enterprises (BVMW), Markus Jerger, of the German press agency. Even speculation about it unsettles companies and prevents investments. “Instead of speculating about new coercive measures, the federal government should send a positive signal to the economy.” The Union must “finally” prevail against its coalition partner and provide relief for taxes, levies and energy costs.
The deputy chief of the FDP parliamentary group, Michael Theurer, called for an “economic summit with a binding rejection of the federal government to another lockdown.” Altmaier spoke out in favor of more speed and offers on-site for vaccinations. And: “We should consider limiting major events such as concerts or football games to vaccinated and recovered visitors. A negative test alone should not be sufficient for this in the long term.” However, the minister rejected rewards for those willing to vaccinate.
RKI gives a value of 10
The seven-day incidence in Germany has risen to a double-digit value for the first time since June 19. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value on Sunday morning as 10.0. The day before it was 9.4. On June 19, it had dropped to a single-digit value for the first time in nine months. The incidence reached its lowest point on July 6 at 4.9.
Within one day, the health authorities in Germany reported 1292 new corona infections to the RKI. For comparison: a week ago the value was 745 infections. According to the new information, 3 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 6 dead. (07/18/2021)
Schwesig calls for a new nationwide corona warning value
The Prime Minister of Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Manuela Schwesig (SPD), calls for a new national standard to be introduced instead of incidence. “I expressly support the proposal that the federal and state governments agree on a new national warning value for the corona situation,” Schwesig told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Monday). “In the future, we must take greater account of vaccinations and hospital burdens,” said the Prime Minister. The Rhineland-Palatinate head of government Malu Dreyer (SPD) had previously called for a new standard for assessing the pandemic situation.
A traffic light model already applies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Schwesig continues, which takes into account both the incidence value and the number of Covid patients in the hospital and the patients in the intensive care unit. “We are reacting to the increasing progress in vaccination, which is why significantly fewer infections now lead to severe courses,” said the head of government. “In this situation it would be important to implement this system quickly across the country.” (7/18/21)
Berlin researchers warn of an exponential increase in hospital admissions
Scientists at the Technical University of Berlin (TU), however, are expecting a fourth wave in autumn based on modeling, which will not pass hospitals either. The currently observed increase in seven-day incidences is “worrying”, and an exponential increase in hospitalizations is to be expected for October. If the current development continues, it is to be feared even earlier. it says in a report by the group around the mobility researcher Kai Nagel to the Federal Ministry of Research.
A fourth wave can only be averted if the vaccines against the delta variant work significantly better than currently known or if a vaccination rate of 95 percent is achieved. The model results “under all currently realistic conditions” a serious situation that will worsen “with the relocation of activities indoors in autumn”.
The research team uses Berlin cell phone data to model the infection process. The results are at least transferable to other large cities. According to the report, the simulations for schools show that ventilation systems and the widespread use of rapid and / or PCR tests could reduce the infection dynamics. If such measures were implemented consistently, school closings or alternating lessons would not be necessary, it said. The two rapid tests per week, which are currently typical, are, however, by no means sufficient without additional measures. If the schools were to be opened after the summer vacation without protective measures, according to the model, there would be a wave of infections among schoolchildren, which would lead to a wave in adults. (07/17/2021)
Fifty percent fully vaccinated in Bremen and Saarland
In Bremen and Saarland, more than half of the residents are now fully vaccinated against the corona virus, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
According to the RKI, a total of 601,220 vaccine doses were administered in Germany on Friday. Nationwide, around 38.2 million people are now fully immunized against Covid-19, which corresponds to 45.9 percent of the population. 59.7 percent or around 49.6 million Germans have now received at least the first injection. While the federal states of Bremen with 50.6 percent and Saarland with 50.1 percent of fully vaccinated people have made the greatest progress, Saxony and Brandenburg are the slowest with 42.6 percent each. The most populous federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia is currently in third place in terms of vaccination rate with 48.8 percent.
There is an increasing regional gap in the number of first-vaccinated persons: Saxony is at the bottom with 50.7 percent, followed by Thuringia (54.2), Brandenburg (54.7), Saxony-Anhalt (55.6) and Bavaria (57, 6 percent). In Bremen, on the other hand, more than two thirds (68.8 percent) of all residents are immunized at least once, and the situation is similar in Saarland (65.0 percent). (07/17/2021)
Study advises intelligent student division in alternating lessons
Before the start of the new school year, sociologists advise taking friendships among children and young people into account when teaching alternating lessons. If you want to avoid or mitigate outbreaks of infection in schools with the increasing number of corona cases, you have to intelligently divide the students. The one in the trade journal The Lancet Regional Health – Europe A study published by the Mannheim Center for European Social Research (MZES) and Columbia University (USA) examined contacts between 14- and 15-year-olds in more than 500 classes in secondary schools in England, the Netherlands, Sweden and Germany.
The research team found that the random distribution of the students in two groups had the least effect against the spread of the infection. A breakdown by gender is much more effective, since school-age children and adolescents are more likely to meet members of their own gender. The division, which took into account the social contacts given by the students in surveys, proved to be particularly effective. The likelihood of so-called superspreading – i.e. a relatively high number of infections, starting from a few infected people – can also be reduced with this form of group formation based on friendships.
In addition, the research team was able to show that the changing lessons of divided school classes on a weekly basis can interrupt chains of infection better than forms of teaching in which the class halves are present in the school on the same day and, for example, use different rooms at different times. Weekly change works like a kind of short quarantine, during which a burgeoning infection process can subside. (07/17/2021)
Ministry of Defense examines compulsory vaccination for soldiers
The Armed Forces Commissioner Eva Högl has spoken out in favor of compulsory corona vaccination for soldiers. “Since Covid-19 will keep us busy for the foreseeable future, I advocate inclusion in the catalog of vaccinations subject to tolerance,” Högl told the Funke media group. Vaccination is already mandatory for soldiers who go into action.
In the Bundeswehr, the obligation to tolerate vaccination and preventive measures was introduced a few years ago. These include vaccinations against certain communicable diseases. The Ministry of Defense is checking whether the corona vaccination should be included in the list. “When I visit the troops, I experience a high level of willingness among our soldiers to be vaccinated. Many would prefer a Covid-19 vaccination today rather than tomorrow,” explained Högl.
The defense policy spokeswoman for the FDP parliamentary group, Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann, does not think this is appropriate at the moment: “There is no compulsory vaccination in Germany, which means that there is no compulsory vaccination for soldiers either,” she said Newspapers of the Funke media group. But she would like everyone to be sensible just to protect their comrades and get vaccinated. The federal government has so far excluded a general corona vaccination obligation and also a special one for certain professional groups. (07/17/2021)
Prime Minister Kretschmer against new school closings
Saxony’s Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU) has spoken out against renewed school closings in the face of rising incidences – and in favor of vaccinating children and adolescents. Open schools and kindergartens are a question of fairness in education, but also the mental health of children and families, said the CDU politician in an interview with Düsseldorf Rheinische Post. The mistake of closing schools should not be repeated.
Kretschmer advocated vaccinations for children and adolescents from the age of twelve. Saxony has enough vaccines and many paediatricians who are ready to vaccinate young people. He hoped for a corresponding general recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) in the next few days. “Then we would have even more security and acceptance. There is a large part of the population that is very much oriented towards the criteria of the Stiko. (07/17/2021)