Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn can imagine that employers can ask employees about their corona vaccination status. The CDU politician said on the ARD program “Hard but fair” that he was torn between whether the law should be changed so that employers could ask for at least the next six months. That’s how it is done in the restaurant. When asked what his attitude towards it was, Spahn said: “I am increasingly tending towards yes.” He argued: “If everyone in the open-plan office is vaccinated, I can handle it differently than if 50 percent are not vaccinated.”
The President of the Confederation of German Employers’ Associations, Rainer Dulger, said on Monday: “Companies and businesses now need a clear statement that they can inquire about the vaccination status of their employees in order to ensure the necessary measures to protect the health of all their employees.”
Spahn again refused a vaccination requirement for certain occupational groups such as the nursing professions. It is his concern, “that a mandatory vaccination – also based on occupational groups – does not make it easier in the end that we all keep it, but that we will lose many along the way”. (08/31/2021)
More new infections in Israel than ever before
The number of new corona infections within 24 hours has climbed to a new high in Israel since the beginning of the pandemic. The Ministry of Health announced that 10,947 new cases had been registered. In the meantime, more than a million infections have been reported in the country with a population of 9.4 million. The number of seriously ill fell slightly, it was 719 on Tuesday. For comparison: The health authorities in Germany reported 5,750 new corona infections to the RKI within one day. Germany has about nine times more inhabitants than Israel.
In Israel, the Biontech / Pfizer preparation is used almost exclusively. Since the end of July, the country has been the first in the world to administer third vaccinations against the coronavirus, around two million have already been vaccinated three times. About 59 percent of citizens have received two doses of vaccine. All Israelis aged twelve and over can now be vaccinated for the third time. However, it is hardly possible to achieve herd immunity as long as around 2.13 million children under twelve can only be vaccinated in rare exceptional cases. They make up almost a quarter of the population.
The background to the decision to have a third vaccination are figures from the Ministry of Health, according to which the effectiveness of the vaccination has declined sharply since the beginning of June. At the same time, the delta variant, which is considered to be particularly contagious, spread.
Experts fear that the start of school on September 1 after the summer vacation could further fuel the infection rate. According to Israeli media reports, more than 90,000 children and young people cannot go to school or kindergarten because they are currently ill or in corona quarantine. (08/31/2021)
Intensive care physicians warn against overloading the clinic staff
In view of the increasing numbers of Covid patients in the clinics, intensive care physicians are warning of an overload of the staff in intensive care units. “Our people are exhausted,” said Gernot Marx, President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The staff in intensive care units are still under constant stress: “The exhaustion from the first three waves has not yet been recovered.” The clinics did not take a break, but carried out many postponed interventions over the summer.
Marx called the current development in the intensive care units worrying. Within a month, the number of seriously ill Covid patients almost tripled from under 400 to over 1000. “Intensive care units are already getting full again in some regions,” he warned.
The SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach demanded the same guide values for all of Germany for hospital deliveries of corona patients. Otherwise there is a threat of a “patchwork quilt”, he told the Funke newspapers. At the moment, however, the value from which it could become critical varies greatly from region to region. This could lead to considerable distortions.
For example, the importance of the hospitalization rate depends on how many vaccinated people and how many hospital beds there are in a region, Lauterbach said. The average age in a region also plays a role. In addition, it is unclear what will happen if the delivery rate exceeds a certain mark. “A clear link between incidence and hospitalization is necessary and will come in the course of parliamentary deliberations,” he said. (08/31/2021)
The incidence is falling for the first time since the beginning of July
For the first time in eight weeks, the seven-day incidence in Germany has fallen somewhat. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a value of 74.8 on Tuesday morning. The day before it was still at 75.8. The value indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have contracted the coronavirus in the past seven days.
On Tuesday, the RKI reported 5,750 new corona cases within 24 hours, almost as many as on Tuesday a week ago, when 5,747 new infections were reported. 60 other people died in connection with the virus. (08/31/2021)
Merkel: The 3-G rule in trains can be a sensible measure
Chancellor Angela Merkel still considers a 3-G rule to protect against corona infections in long-distance trains to be a “possible and sensible measure”, despite concerns from ministries. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said on Monday.
Seibert said the number of cases in Germany increased significantly. “That means we have to think about what we can do to dampen or stop this increase again.” A large part of the people in Germany are vaccinated, but there are, for example, children up to the age of twelve for whom there is no vaccine. “We have a responsibility, also and especially for them, to reduce the number of cases again.” With regard to the 3G rule in long-distance trains in France and Italy, he said: “In this respect, the Chancellor continues to believe that 3G can be a possible and sensible measure in long-distance trains and on domestic flights.” In France and Italy the rule is not “impossible or uncontrollable”.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) said on Sunday evening on Bild TV: “I don’t see it coming.” This is the result of an examination by the specialist departments. The question was whether such a rule had a legal basis, whether it was practicable and feasible and whether it was infectiously necessary. Accordingly, only those vaccinated, recovered or tested (3G) corona were allowed to use trains.
Such a regulation is neither necessary nor enforceable for health reasons, according to the statement from the Ministry of Health, Interior and Transport to the Chancellery, which the Reuters news agency received on Monday. “The introduction of a 3-G rule, which obviously cannot be monitored or at least only to a very limited extent, and can thus be enforced, is nowhere near.” The essential feature of local and long-distance public transport is free access. A control when boarding is excluded due to the short stopping times.
Since there is already a mask requirement, several scientific studies have come to the conclusion that neither staff nor passengers are exposed to a particular risk of infection. “Stricter protective measures are therefore – as long as no other information is available – disproportionate.”
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert confirmed on Friday that the federal government was examining a 3-G rule for long-distance trains in the fight against the pandemic in order to curb the high number of corona cases. In Germany, the 3-G rule has so far only applied to international flights and in some areas of public life – for example when visiting restaurants indoors. (08/30/2021)
Corona record in the greater Sydney area
Despite a lockdown that has been in place for more than two months, the number of new corona infections continues to rise in the Australian state of New South Wales. On Monday, authorities in the region recorded 1,290 new cases within 24 hours – more than ever since the pandemic began. Almost 80 percent of the new infections were confirmed in the west and south of the metropolis of Sydney, the authorities said.
Regional Prime Minister Gladys Berejiklian announced possible easing of the restrictions when 70 percent of the population are vaccinated. This is expected to be the case in October. However, the strict rules should only be relaxed for those who are fully vaccinated. So far, 36 percent of the approximately eight million inhabitants of New South Wales on the Australian east coast are fully vaccinated.
At the same time, the airline Virgin Australia announced that it would follow the example of the largest airline Qantas and also introduce mandatory vaccination for employees. Qantas had already set a deadline of November 15 for pilots, flight attendants and ground staff to get vaccinated in mid-August. The remaining employees will have time until the end of March 2022. The same timeframe should apply to Virgin Australia. There are only exceptions for medical reasons.
Australia, with a population of 25 million, has long been successful in the fight against the virus thanks to strict rules and closed external borders. Experts blame the sluggish vaccination campaign and the delta variant for the increasing numbers. (08/30/2021)