With the corona virus, more and more people are getting infected again. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 262,752 new infections within 24 hours. The nationwide seven-day incidence rises to 1388.5 from 1319.0 the previous day. It is the eighth increase in a row. The regional differences are enormous: In Saxony-Anhalt and Thuringia, this value, which describes the number of nine infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days, is more than 1700, in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania even 1938, in the city states of Hamburg, Berlin and Bremen, on the other hand, has less than 800.
259 other people died in connection with the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 125,023.
However, the figures are only of limited significance. Experts assume a high number of cases that are not recorded in the RKI data. Test capacities and health authorities are at the limit in many places, contacts are only traced to a limited extent. 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. (03/09/2022)
Draft law: Corona rules should continue to be possible
In Germany, the federal states will be able to impose corona rules beyond March 20th – especially if the health system is endangered in the region. The federal government has presented a corresponding draft of the Infection Protection Act.
On the one hand, it provides that the federal states can generally decide on certain protective measures, as Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said: a mask requirement in local transport, in clinics or care facilities as well as a test requirement in these facilities and in schools. The government calls these “basic rules”.
In addition, there should only be corona rules in so-called hotspots. According to Lauterbach, these are areas with high or rapidly increasing numbers of infections and an impending overload of the hospitals. This should not be defined more precisely in the law – neither through fixed incidence or hospitalization values nor in terms of spatial expansion. “It can be a city or, in extreme cases, an entire country,” said Lauterbach. There, the countries can then also order a mask requirement, hygiene regulations, distance rules or access regulations such as a 2-G or a 3-G rule.
Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann spoke of a “very good compromise”. At the urging of his party, the FDP, the Bundestag decided in late autumn to let almost all corona rules expire on March 20th. After that, the number of infections increased rapidly. Lauterbach, on the other hand, has repeatedly warned against being left without corona protection measures in spring. The federal states also demanded a corresponding legal basis from the federal government.
This should now be finally decided on Friday next week and, according to Lauterbach, will apply until September 23rd. Then a new regulation could be decided before the expected wave of infections in autumn, he said. In a transitional phase until April 2nd, the federal states should also be able to leave their previous Corona regulations in force.(09.03.2022)
Austria is suspending compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus for the time being
The obligation to vaccinate is not proportionate to the prevailing Omicron variant, says Constitutional Minister Karoline Edtstadler from the ÖVP. The basis for the decision is the report of an expert commission. A new decision should be made in three months, explains the new Austrian Minister of Health, Johannes Rauch (Greens). After all, it cannot be ruled out that a new variant will put a strain on the health system in the fall.
The vaccination requirement has actually been in effect since the beginning of February. From March 15 onwards, anyone who refused would have had to expect fines of up to 3,600 euros. Austria was a pioneer in the EU with this step. Other countries only had age-specific regulations. The vaccination rate in Austria is around 70 percent. (09.03.2022)
South Korea reports new high for new infections
South Korea reported a new high of 342,446 infections within 24 hours, according to the agency for disease control and prevention (KDCA). According to the KDCA, 158 other people died in connection with the virus. (03/09/2022)
Moderna permanently waives patent protection in 92 countries
The US company Moderna is permanently waiving patent protection for its corona vaccine in 92 low- and middle-income countries. The patents will “never” be enforced in these countries, announced the manufacturer. The prerequisite is that these vaccines are produced exclusively for use in these countries. These are countries where Gavi, the vaccination alliance of governments, companies, foundations and UN organizations, runs the Covax program. These include Ghana, Bosnia-Herzegovina and Uruguay.
Moderna President Stephen Hoge said the company also forgoes the corresponding license income. “Moderna does not charge any money for the use of the patents. We do not make a profit with it – on the contrary,” said Hoge.
Moderna also plans to produce, fill and package mRNA vaccines in Kenya. The company has signed a corresponding letter of intent with the Kenyan government. It will invest up to $500 million (about 460 million euros) to produce up to 500 million doses of vaccine for the African continent annually. In 2021, Moderna had already announced that it would like to build such a plant in Africa. (03/08/2022)
More than six million corona deaths worldwide
Since the beginning of the corona pandemic, more than six million people have died worldwide after being infected with the virus. That’s going out new data from the US Johns Hopkins University (JHU) out. The threshold of five million corona deaths worldwide was exceeded at the beginning of November, and the four million mark at the beginning of July last year.
According to the data from the US researchers, the number of confirmed infections is more than 446 million cases after more than two years. However, experts assume that the number of unreported cases of infections and deaths around the world is high. According to JHU statistics, more than 10.6 billion vaccinations have now been administered worldwide.
The university’s website is regularly updated with incoming data and shows a slightly higher level than the official figures from the World Health Organization (WHO). In some cases, the numbers have also been temporarily corrected downwards again. According to the WHO on Monday, there have been 5.98 million confirmed deaths and a good 440 million known infections. (07.03.2022)
Recommendations for uniform corona rules in culture
According to Minister of State for Culture Claudia Roth, a good two years after the start of the corona pandemic, recommendations for a nationwide air hygiene standard for cultural events are available for the first time. The paper was drawn up by scientists from various disciplines with the participation of the Federal Environment Agency and various cultural institutions, as the Greens politician announced.
She described the recommendations as a good basis for nationwide uniform corona rules in culture. They contribute to “that exemplary hygiene is given more consideration in future protective measures and blanket closures of cultural institutions are avoided”. In this way, one can also show the audience that visiting cinemas, theaters and concert halls is safe, Roth explained further. “In this way we are also making a contribution to the sustainable recovery and economic stabilization of the cultural sector.”
The recommendations are in the form of a checklist in the traffic light system for assessing air hygiene. They include various criteria such as the presence of ventilation systems and hygiene concepts. The area of application is “primarily theatres, cinemas and concert halls with a predominantly seated audience,” it says. (07.03.2022)