Corona data situation
Lauterbach: Incidence two to three times higher than stated – the Federal Government is pushing for more meaningful data
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach warns: The current corona numbers are not reliable.
© Kay Nietfeld / DPA
The incidence is falling. A reason to be happy? Not at all. The Robert Koch Institute points out that the figures are not meaningful because of the holidays. The federal government wants that to change quickly.
If you open the corona dashboard of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a warning pops up: “During the holidays and at the turn of the year, when interpreting the number of cases, it should be noted that less test and reporting activity is to be expected”, it says there. The data shown in the dashboard and the management report did not adequately reflect the epidemiological situation. Last week the RKI had already pointed out that the data would not be reliable again until the second week of January. However, the institute was unable to name a reference date due to the different vacation times in the individual federal states.
Is the corona situation easing?
The seven-day incidence is currently 205.5. A week ago, the RKI reported 289 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week. It looks like things are easing. In view of the restrictions, however, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also assesses the current corona infection process much more critically than the reporting figures show. It can be assumed that the actual incidence in Germany is currently two to three times as high as reported, he said in Berlin.
Work is currently being carried out to obtain better data, explained Lauterbach. The federal government is quickly striving for more meaningful data on the corona situation. The Ministry of Health told the DPA news agency that there are discussions with the Robert Koch Institute and experts in order to have the figures very up-to-date at the beginning of the new year. Lauterbach said that he was certain that there would be “solid data that are completely sufficient for these purposes” for the already planned Prime Minister’s Conference with Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) on January 7th.
Less tests, more vaccinations
A spokesman for the Ministry of Health explained that certain delays and less up-to-date figures would otherwise also occur on weekends – in this respect, the turn of the year is now a “somewhat longer weekend”. In addition, there will be no tests in schools during the holidays. Ultimately, it is not the one hundred percent correct current number that is so decisive for virus containment, but that protective measures are observed and the vaccinations are advanced.
The vaccinations are picking up again after the slow rush over Christmas. On Tuesday, 608,000 cans were injected, as the RKI announced on Wednesday. Around 535,000 people were vaccinated on Monday. On the other hand, between December 24th and 26th, the number of vaccinations fell sharply. At least 59 million people or 71 percent of the population now have full basic protection with the second injection, which is usually necessary. At least 31 million people (37.3 percent) also received a booster vaccination.
The German Association of Cities called on the federal and state governments to create sufficient vaccine reserves and to guarantee permanent vaccination capacities in the cities. “People will also need booster vaccinations in the new year 2022, we are firmly assuming,” said President Markus Lewe to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Omikron plays a major role in Northern Germany
Despite the increasing vaccination rate, Health Minister Lauterbach appealed to all citizens to spend New Year’s Eve in such a way that no new chains of infection arise. “Please celebrate in a very small group.” The number of cases reported by the health authorities underestimated the existing risk.
The number of reliably proven and probable Omikron cases in Germany has risen again. 13,129 would now be assigned to this new Corona variant, 26 percent more than the day before, according to an RKI overview on Wednesday. The number relates to cases in November and December, 7632 of which are from last week.
The increase indicates with relative certainty that Omikron has an increasingly large share in the infection process in Germany, said the modeler Dirk Brockmann from the Humboldt University Berlin of the DPA. In northern German cities such as Hamburg and Bremen, the variant already plays a major role. One should not be lulled into a false sense of security by the corona data, which is currently limited, as this is evident in other countries. “It can suddenly start very quickly and then very strongly.”
Do shorter quarantine times make sense?
The Omikron variant is also spreading rapidly in other countries. In the United States, the virus is already threatening the economy. Numerous flights had to be canceled due to staff shortages. In view of this, the CDC health authority had recommended a shortening of the quarantine time. Instead of ten, those who tested positive only have to be in quarantine for five days. From an epidemiological point of view, according to the CDC, it also suggests that most infections occur at an early stage of the disease.
In Germany there is a 14-day quarantine obligation if someone has had contact with a person infected with Omikron. On request, the RKI was cautious about a shortened quarantine period. In general, all recommendations would be continuously checked and adjusted if necessary. “In general, however, we cannot speculate whether, when and in which direction recommendations will be changed.”
According to information from the “mirrorHealth Minister Lauterbach is currently examining the extent to which the quarantine period could be shortened. In Germany, too, there is concern that the critical infrastructure could be paralyzed by Omikron and staff shortages In addition, this could also play a role at the Prime Minister’s Conference on January 7. Berlin’s Mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) and Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had shown themselves to be open to an adjustment beforehand.