The Italian government wants to lift the Corona state of emergency on March 31st. This is announced by Prime Minister Mario Draghi. “We will continue to monitor the situation closely and stand ready to intervene in the event of an outbreak,” explains Draghi. “But our goal is to fully reopen as soon as possible.” The state of emergency was introduced on January 31, 2020 to circumvent bureaucratic hurdles in the fight against the corona virus. Since then it has been extended repeatedly. (02/23/2022)
83 percent in Africa still without a corona vaccination
The Director General of the World Health Organization, Tedros Ghebreyesus, draws a bitter balance of the corona vaccination campaign in Africa. A year after the first delivery under the Covax initiative, 83 percent of the population are still waiting for the first dose, he said in a video contribution at a conference in Abuja, Nigeria.
He blamed “vaccine nationalism” and preferential delivery to rich countries for the vaccine shortages in the first half of 2021. “This is not only a moral failure, but also an epidemiological failure that creates ideal conditions for the emergence of new variants,” said Ghebreyesus.
At the same time, he spoke of a positive outlook for this year. With 1.2 billion cans delivered to date, Covax has helped overcome many of the supply bottlenecks of the past year. The vaccines that have now been secured were sufficient to cover 45 percent of the need by the middle of the year. Thanks to other sources, the global vaccination target of 70 percent can be achieved by mid-2022, said Ghebreyesus. (02/23/2022)
The nationwide incidence value continues to fall
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 209,052 positive tests within 24 hours. That is 10,920 fewer cases than on Tuesday a week ago, when 219,972 new infections were reported. The nationwide seven-day incidence falls to around 1279 from around 1307 the previous day. 299 people died in connection with the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 121,902.
So far, more than 13.97 million corona tests have been positive in Germany. Experts assume a high number of infections that are not recorded in the RKI data. Test capacities and health authorities are therefore at the limit in many places, and contacts are only tracked to a limited extent. In addition, there is likely to be a larger number of people who no longer have their infection confirmed by a PCR test – the infection is therefore not included in the official 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. (02/22/2022)
Partial tax exemption applies to helpers in vaccination and test centers
As early as 2020 and 2021, the volunteers in the vaccination and test centers were able to use the flat rate for trainers or volunteers. That means: Income of 2400 euros at that time or 3000 euros from 2021 and 720 or 840 euros did not have to be taxed.
This year is no different: according to a decision by the finance ministries of the federal states and the Federal Ministry of Finance, the regulation will also be applicable in 2022. “The tax-free flat rates only apply if the client or employer is a non-profit organization or a public employer, for example the federal state or a municipality,” explains Daniela Karbe-Gessler from the Taxpayers’ Association.
The amount of the lump sum is differentiated according to which activities are carried out. For helpers who are directly involved in the vaccination or testing, the trainer flat rate of 3000 euros will also apply in 2022. Volunteers who work in the administration and organization of vaccination or test centers can leave their remuneration tax-free thanks to the volunteer fee of 840 euros. The flat rates also apply to mobile vaccination and test centers.
Study: Two infections with omicron possible
According to researchers from Denmark, in rare cases it is possible to contract two different subvariants of the omicron variant of the coronavirus one after the other. An infection with the BA.2 subtype can occur shortly after an initial BA.1 infection, the Danish health institute SSI wrote in a study published on Tuesday. In general, however, it is assumed that this occurs relatively rarely and then especially in younger, unvaccinated people.
According to the SSI, the scientists involved found 47 cases in which the same person became infected first with BA.1 and then with BA.2 over a period of 20 to 60 days. Most of them only experienced mild symptoms, none of them had to go to the hospital. In Denmark, the BA.2 subtype currently accounts for by far the largest proportion of new corona infections, at 88 percent according to the study. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), BA.2 has also increased noticeably in Germany. The proportion of corona cases examined in a sample has recently risen to 14.9 percent, the RKI stated in its weekly report last Thursday. This figure is for the week ending February 6th. For the week before, the RKI gave the share as 10.4 percent. (02/22/2022)
Those who have not been vaccinated are allowed to enter Austria again
Austria is relaxing its entry requirements. As of this Tuesday, the 3-G rule applies again when crossing the border. This means that people who have not been vaccinated can also come back into the country if they can show a negative test. This is an important step for the tourism industry in order to be able to welcome as many guests as possible, not least from Germany, for the rest of the winter season.
The relief is part of a broader easing strategy. From March 5th, practically all corona restrictions should be lifted in Austria. Then there will only be an FFP2 mask requirement in certain parts of public life. The exception is Vienna, which initially wants to partially retain the 2-G rule, for example in gastronomy.
The seven-day incidence, which was last at around 2,200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants within a week, shows a downward trend. The situation in the clinics – especially in the intensive care units – is stable. (02/22/2022)
Full-time employees in geriatric care should receive a corona bonus of up to 550 euros
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has presented plans for a planned care bonus. It should be divided equally between nurses in hospitals and employees in long-term care, said Lauterbach on ZDF. According to the key issues paper from the Ministry of Health, which is available to the newspapers of the Funke media group, full-time employees in geriatric care should receive a corona bonus of up to 550 euros. A budget of around one billion euros has been earmarked for the bonus.
As the Funke newspapers report, the bonus in geriatric care is to be paid out from June 30th. According to this, employees of nursing services and in nursing homes who worked in geriatric care for at least three months between November 1, 2020 and June 30, 2022 and are still employed on June 30 should benefit. According to the report, full-time employees in direct care and support receive the highest amount of up to 550 euros.
According to the report, the 500 million euros for the clinics should go to hospitals that ventilated more than ten Covid patients in 2021. According to the key issues paper, 837 hospitals, which treated around 95 percent of all corona patients, would benefit from the bonus payment in this way. The premiums should primarily be aimed at nursing staff in bedside care. According to the paper, employees in intensive care should receive a higher bonus than nurses in other areas. (02/22/2022)