In the morning in Berlin, the acting Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) and the President of the Robert Koch Institute Lothar Wieler appear in front of the press to report on the current Corona situation.
RKI President Wieler had recently found impressive words for the current situation. In an online discussion with the Saxon Prime Minister Michael Kretschmer (CDU), Wieler predicted “a very bad Christmas” if no effective measures should be taken to contain the current infection rate. Everyone who can should get vaccinated. Wieler also called for the comprehensive introduction of the 2-G rule, the closure of clubs and bars and measures to reduce contact.
Meanwhile, the Federal Council is voting on the Corona law of the traffic light parties passed by the Bundestag yesterday. Among other things, this provides for proof of vaccination, recovery or a test (3G) at the workplace as well as on buses and trains. In addition, far-reaching 2-G rules are to come into force where the incidence of hospitalization exceeds certain thresholds and a mandatory vaccination for nursing professions is to be introduced. (You can find an overview of all resolutions here.)
The approval of the Union-led federal states was by no means certain on Thursday. The law does not go far enough for the Union, above all it criticizes the expiry of the so-called epidemic situation of national scope. Without the approval of the countries with the CDU and CSU in government, there is no majority in the Bundesrat. After the Bund-Länder round on Thursday, however, a compromise emerged: It was agreed that the law introduced by the SPD, Greens and FDP should be evaluated in three weeks and, if necessary, improved. (11/19/2021)
The incidence rises to 340.7 – again a new high
The nationwide seven-day incidence has again risen to a high. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Friday morning at 340.7. The previous day the value was 336.9, a week ago it was 263.7 (previous month: 75.1). The RKI also reported 52,970 new corona infections. Exactly one week ago there were 48,640 infections. More than 65,000 new infections had been reported the day before.
According to the new information, 201 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 191 deaths. The RKI stated the number of those who had recovered at 4,588,200. The number of people who died with or with a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 98,739. (11/19/2021)
Bavaria’s hospitals are in immediate danger of being overburdened
In view of the unchecked increase in the number of infections, hospitals in Bavaria are warning of an imminent overload of intensive care units and are calling for significantly tougher contact restrictions. “The current situation is more dramatic than it has ever been in Bavaria during the entire pandemic,” says the managing director of the Bavarian Hospital Society, Roland Engehausen Augsburger Allgemeine According to a preliminary report. Due to a lack of capacity in Bavarian clinics, even cancer operations would have to be postponed indefinitely. The transfer of patients to neighboring federal states will also be more difficult. The number of corona intensive care patients in Bavaria is currently increasing by around 30 percent every week. (11/19/2021)
Patient advocates criticize hospital burdens
From the point of view of the German Foundation for Patient Protection, the federal and state governments have still not created a reliable benchmark for assessing the corona situation. The hospitalization rate is neither a current figure, nor does the value reflect the actual burden on the hospitals, said board member Eugen Brysch. A “Covid-19 radar” for the clinics, which takes daily parameters into account, is overdue. This included people infected with corona, Covid 19 sufferers, corona deceased and the utilization of all wards.
The federal and state governments agreed on Thursday that uniformly tougher corona measures should take effect when certain stress thresholds in the clinics are exceeded. The benchmark should be the hospitalization rate in the respective country. To this end, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) records reported clinical admissions of corona patients per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period. Specifically, based on this, there will be three levels in the future, each with further restrictions – including nationwide access rules only for vaccinated and convalescent people (2 G). (11/19/2021)
Municipalities are demanding tough crackdowns
The German Association of Towns and Municipalities calls on the federal states to take tough action. “We know from the past that, in particular, contact restrictions and the reduction of events can slow down the incidence of infection,” says the chief executive of the German Association of Cities and Municipalities, Gerd Landsberg Rheinische Post According to a preliminary report. Therefore, countries should make use of the power to reduce the number of participants in large events such as football matches. The 2-G plus rule should be introduced for indoor events. (11/19/2021)
Medical Association calls for the MPK resolutions to be tightened up at the beginning of December
The German Medical Association welcomes the resolutions of the federal-state meeting in principle, but the measures may have to be refined at the beginning of December. “It remains to be seen whether they are sufficient to get the infection situation under control and to prevent the clinics from being overloaded,” says medical president Klaus Reinhardt of the Funke media group, according to a preliminary report. It is important to collect and collect data and knowledge about the decisions by the agreed evaluation of the resolutions on December 9th, so that we can take action if necessary. (11/19/2021)
Social association also wants Corona care bonus for home care
The social association VdK is calling for the new Corona care bonus to be extended to home care. “It doesn’t just need a bonus for nurses in facilities, we demand this for all those who look after their relatives at home,” says VdK President Verena Bentele of the Funke media group according to a preliminary report. They had always been forgotten in the previous corona waves and would just be back. There are additional costs in home care for protective clothing, face masks or disinfectants, says Bentele. (11/19/2021)
Survey: majority in favor of stricter corona measures
A large majority of the population is open to stricter corona measures. This is confirmed by a Forsa survey that, according to a preliminary report, was carried out on behalf of the editorial network Germany. When asked which measures should still be allowed after the end of the epidemic situation at the federal and state levels, 78 percent were in favor of the mask requirement. 69 percent of those surveyed agreed to a possible order to introduce the 2-G rule across the board. 38 percent are in favor of compulsory vaccination. The survey also clearly shows that hardly anyone is in favor of closing schools and daycare centers. Only eleven percent were in favor of this option. About 1000 people were interviewed. The statistical margin of error is three percentage points. (11/19/2021)