The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 4032 new infections within 24 hours on Monday. That is 16,052 fewer cases than on Monday last week, when 20,084 corona infections were reported. The nationwide seven-day incidence drops to 639.5 from 666.4 the previous day. The RKI reports no further deaths related to the virus. The number of reported deaths remains at 135,461.
The number of infections is currently only of limited significance. Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only these count in the statistics. That is why we use the SZ Corona Dashboard to show an average value from the reports of the past seven days, which is intended to compensate for fluctuations from day to day. You can find more information on this in the transparency blog, further data and graphics on the pandemic here. (04/02/2022)
South African vaccine plant faces closure due to vaccine fatigue
The first African plant to produce a corona vaccine is threatened with closure. Due to vaccination fatigue on the continent, the South African pharmaceutical company Aspen Pharmacare has not received a single order for production, says a manager of the group.
Aspen agreed to a license with pharmaceutical giant Johnson & Johnson last November. The South Africans were supposed to bottle its corona vaccine for the whole of Africa and sell it under its own name Aspenovax. In South Africa, the vaccination rate is stagnating at around 30 percent. A fifth corona wave is imminent. (05/02/2022)
Drug Paxlovid cannot prevent corona transmission
According to a study commissioned by the pharmaceutical company Pfizer, the company’s Covid 19 drug Paxlovid cannot prevent infection transmission. “While we are disappointed with the outcome of this particular study, these results do not affect the strong efficacy and safety data we observed in our previous study treating Covid-19 patients,” said Albert Bourla, Managing Director of Pfizer.
The company said the study’s safety data is consistent with previous studies showing the pills prevent almost 90 percent of hospitalization or death in COVID patients at high risk of serious illness. (04/30/2022)
Economics Minister Habeck ends corona isolation
According to a ministry spokeswoman, Economics Minister Robert Habeck will be taking all planned appointments again from Monday. A second PCR corona test at the weekend was negative and confirmed a negative PCR test from Friday. Previously, Habeck had had three positive rapid test results and isolated himself. The Green politician will take part in the special meeting of EU energy ministers in Brussels on Monday afternoon. Habeck tested positive for the corona virus on Friday. (05/02/2022)
Nationwide, the obligation to isolate is reduced to five days
The prescribed isolation for corona infected people is to be reduced to five days. This was announced by the Ministry of Health in Saxony-Anhalt, which currently chairs the Conference of Health Ministers, on Thursday evening. In a video link by the heads of federal and state departments, the Federal Ministry of Health announced that the recommendation of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) with regard to the duration of isolation and quarantine should be adjusted at the beginning of next week.
The countries want to revise their isolation and quarantine regulations accordingly. The health ministers justify the step with increasing immunity in the population and milder disease progression with the omicron variant. It is gratifying that “all states have agreed on a uniform approach based on the scientific expertise of the RKI,” explained Saxony-Anhalt’s Health Minister Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD). A quarantine for contact persons of infected people should only be urgently recommended, as it was said on Thursday evening after the deliberations of the department heads.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach advocates urgently recommending self-testing at the end of this period. “We know that many are still positive after the fifth day, and they would then infect others,” said the SPD politician on ARD. Therefore, a free test is also useful for those who no longer have symptoms. Lauterbach announced a detailed proposal for the planned changes for Monday.
Several countries are already making headway in shortening the isolation period. In Baden-Württemberg, too, it should only last five days, as the German Press Agency learned from coalition circles. From the beginning of May, a final free test after five days will also be omitted for most people if they have had no symptoms for two days. There are exceptions for staff in clinics or nursing homes. Baden-Württemberg follows the example of Bavaria, where such a regulation has been in effect since mid-April. Rhineland-Palatinate and Thuringia had also announced that they would go this route.
So far, isolation and quarantine have usually lasted ten days and can be ended prematurely with a negative test after seven days at the earliest. Federal Minister Lauterbach had withdrawn an initially planned end to the obligation to isolate. (04/29/2022)
Omicron subvariant BA.2 at 97 percent, other variants rare
According to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the omicron subvariant BA.2 is now likely to cause the vast majority of corona infections in Germany. According to the latest findings – a sample from the week before last – their share was 97 percent, according to the RKI weekly report on Thursday evening.
BA.1, the previously predominant subtype, comes to just under three percent. According to the data, the relatively new omicron sublines BA.4 and BA.5 have not played any particular role so far: BA.4 is listed with a share of 0 percent, BA.5 with 0.1 percent. Mixed variants have so far only been detected in isolated cases, writes the RKI. In Germany, the genome is only completely examined in a small proportion of positive samples. (04/29/2022)
Drosten leaves the Corona committee
The virologist Christian Drosten is withdrawing from a commission for the scientific assessment of the state corona restrictions in Germany. Unfortunately, Drosten informed him that he would no longer accompany the evaluation of the Infection Protection Act for the Federal Government and Parliament, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said on Twitter. “This is a heavy loss because nobody could do it better.” The head of the Institute for Virology at the Charité Berlin remains a member of the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council.
The Bundestag had stipulated in the Infection Protection Act that there should be an external evaluation of the requirements in the context of the epidemic situation of national importance that had been in place for several months. A committee of experts was set up for this purpose, which according to the law is supposed to submit a report by June 30th. Scientists from various disciplines belong to the committee.
A Charité spokeswoman confirmed on request that Drosten had informed the committee of his withdrawal. He had come to the conclusion that the equipment and composition were not sufficient to be able to guarantee a scientifically high-quality evaluation. In addition, in the past few weeks, the content of the consultations has repeatedly become the subject of misleading and incorrect reporting. “From Prof. Drosten’s point of view, this stands in the way of constructive, goal-oriented cooperation in the committee.” After all, the members are bound by strict confidentiality. (04/28/2022)