Corona pandemic: Incidence rises to more than 600

And once again, the pandemic has peaked: the RKI registered more than 133,000 new infections, and the incidence climbed to 638.8. In the mandatory vaccination debate, public health officers point out that this would not mean compulsory vaccination.

According to the Robert Koch Institute, the number of new infections registered in Germany within 24 hours has risen to 133,536 – after 112,323 the day before and 81,417 in the previous week. The RKI gave the seven-day incidence as 638.8. On Wednesday the value was 584.4, compared to 427.7 a week ago.

The RKI thus set new records for both the number of infections and the incidence. Experts are expecting more and more cases that cannot be recorded, partly because laboratories and health authorities are increasingly reaching their capacity limits.

According to the new information, 234 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 316 deaths. The hospitalization incidence, i.e. the number of patients admitted to the hospital per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days, was 3.34 nationwide on Wednesday. According to RKI calculations, a total of 8,320,386 people in Germany have been shown to have been infected with the corona virus since the beginning of the pandemic.

Public health officers: Vaccination is not mandatory

Meanwhile, the debate about general vaccination requirements in Germany continues. Clinics are pushing for more speed. “We are very concerned that politicians will miss the right time for mandatory vaccination and that we will face the same problems in the hospitals again with the next variant,” said Gerald Gaß, CEO of the German Hospital Society (DKG) of the “Augsburger general”.

Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann is also in favor of a “quick decision”. However, the question must first be carefully discussed in Parliament. “However, the Bundestag has repeatedly shown that it is able to combine speed and diligence,” the FDP politician told the “Passauer Neue Presse”.

The German medical officers point out that compulsory vaccination would not mean compulsory vaccination. “Nobody will and is not allowed to vaccinate people against their declared will,” says Elke Bruns-Philipps, Vice-Chairman of the Federal Association of Doctors in Public Health Services (BVÖGD), according to a preliminary report of the Funke media groups. “The law as it is now being discussed does not provide that, nor is it intended.” The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) has declared that compulsory vaccination will not be implemented in medical practices.

SPD wants to introduce compulsory vaccination quickly

The SPD also wants to campaign for a quick decision on the subject of compulsory vaccination at today’s closed conference. Overcoming the corona pandemic has absolute priority, according to the draft of the parliamentary group leadership for a work program that is to be decided at the conference. “We will advance the parliamentary deliberations on compulsory vaccination quickly and with due diligence.” However, no timetable is mentioned in the paper.

It is planned, however, that after an “orientation debate” in the coming week, key points for a draft law will be presented from the ranks of the parliamentary group. On this basis, parliamentarians from other groups should then discuss a joint group motion, which should be voted on by the end of March if possible. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has spoken out in favor of entry into force in April or May.