Corona in Bavaria: Holetschek defends costs for test – Bavaria

Holetschek: “Vaccination is the way out of the pandemic, not testing”

Monday, October 11th, 9:08 am: Bavaria’s Minister of Health Klaus Holetschek (CSU) has defended the end of the free corona tests. “Vaccination is the way out of the pandemic, not testing,” he told Bayerischer Rundfunk. “We now have the possibility of vaccination, then I think it is consistent to say on the other side that we are reducing the free of charge for certain tests and that they are no longer billed at the expense of the solidarity community.”

With a view to autumn and winter, Holetschek emphasized that the pandemic was not over yet. He appealed to all unvaccinated people to get vaccinated in order to “make a contribution for themselves, but also for society as a whole”. For the majority of citizens, the possibility of the free corona test ends in the new week. The reason is that the funding from the federal government has expired. But there are a number of exceptions.

Incidence rises to 92.6

Monday, October 11th, 7:08 am: According to the Robert Koch Institute, the seven-day incidence in Bavaria has risen to 92.6. On Sunday it was 91.3. The hospital traffic light is still green. As before, the Upper Bavarian districts of Berchtesgadener Land (248.3) Traunstein (237.8) have the most new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days. The city of Rosenheim has now moved ahead of the district of Rosenheim (209.0) with an incidence of 218.6. In Munich, the value of 101.3 is still just above the 100 mark. The city of Kaufbeuren reports the lowest incidence in the Free State of 26.9.

No more free corona tests for the majority of Bavarians

Sunday, October 10th, 5:57 p.m .: For the majority of citizens, the possibility of the free corona test ends in the new week. The reason is that the funding from the federal government has expired. But there are a number of exceptions, as Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) made clear in advance. Anyone who goes to the doctor with symptoms still does not have to pay for the test. The same applies to children under the age of twelve as well as to people who cannot be vaccinated for medical reasons.

There are also various transition periods up to December for students, young people who are not of legal age, and expectant and nursing mothers. Citizens who have not been vaccinated or have recovered and want to attend an event or facility to which the so-called 3G rules apply, have to pay for the tests from Monday. In the background there is the hope that the willingness to vaccinate could increase if the non-vaccination becomes noticeable in the wallet. Health Minister Holetschek has repeatedly appealed to citizens in recent months to get vaccinated.

Bavaria continues negotiations on Russian vaccine

Sunday, October 10th, 8.09 a.m .: After the approval of vaccine production at the German subsidiary of the Russian pharmaceutical company R-Pharm, the Bavarian state government intends to continue negotiating the purchase of the Sputnik V vaccine. This said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health. “So far, no purchase agreement has been signed, and no purchase price payments have been made,” she emphasized, however.

Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) announced in April that he wanted to buy 2.5 million doses of the Russian corona vaccine. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has not yet approved the vaccine, so it cannot be used in Germany. There are only national approvals in Hungary and Slovakia in the EU.

The EU approval is an essential criterion for a purchase of the agent by the Free State, said the ministry spokeswoman. When the European Commission will decide on this is not yet foreseeable. The Ministry also informed the Bavarian Broadcasting Corporation that the costs for a possible Sputnik purchase were still unclear. The Greens parliamentary group leader in the state parliament, Katharina Schulze, called the adherence to Sputnik wrong. “Söder should rather put his energy into increasing the vaccination rate,” she wrote on Twitter. There is no shortage of vaccine, but Bavaria is still in the rear.

Holetschek and doctors call for flu vaccinations

Sunday, October 10th, 7.45 a.m .: Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) and Bavaria’s doctors call on citizens to get a flu vaccination. “In addition to the fight against the corona virus, we must not underestimate the classic flu,” said Holetschek on Sunday. “The cold season starts now.”

Above all, people over 60, expectant mothers from the second trimester of their pregnancy, people with underlying diseases and medical staff should be vaccinated against the flu, said Holetschek. According to the Standing Vaccination Commission, vaccinations against flu and corona can be carried out at the same time. The State Medical Association fears a combined wave of Covid-19 infections and colds. If Covid-19, virus flu and other colds set in en masse, practices, hospitals and intensive care units could become overloaded, warned Medical Chamber President Gerald Quitterer.

There was no flu epidemic in autumn and winter 2020. There were only 78 cases, presumably also because of the corona restrictions. In 2019/2020, however, 55,231 flu infections were reported. “The flu can come back this year,” warned Health Minister Holetschek. Experts fear that there could be another major flu wave this fall.

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