As of: 10/14/2022 4:38 a.m
The number of corona infections is increasing – according to the RKI, this also leads to more outbreaks in medical facilities and nursing homes. In view of the development of the pandemic, patient advocates are calling for a return of free citizen tests.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the increased number of corona infections is also leading to more outbreaks in medical facilities and nursing homes. In the past week there were 220 (previous week: 155) active outbreaks in medical facilities such as clinics, in old people’s and nursing homes there were 413 (previous week: 301), as the RKI wrote in its Corona weekly report. “These developments can be interpreted as a direct result of the strong spread in recent weeks,” it said.
As in the weeks before, according to a random sample, almost all corona infections in this country can be traced back to the omicron subline BA.5. The seven-day incidence – i.e. the number of infections recorded per 100,000 inhabitants per week – continued to rise, but not as much as before. The increase last week was 28 percent (previous week: 54 percent).
However, the incidences only provide an incomplete picture of the number of infections. Another indicator is how many doctor visits there are from people with a corona infection and symptoms of an acute respiratory disease. That was about 400,000 last week – about 280,000 a week earlier.
Patient advocates are calling for free citizen tests
In view of the increasing numbers, patient advocates are calling for the return of free corona citizen tests. For cost reasons in particular, the federal government “negligently shut down the test offer,” said the board of directors of the Patient Protection Foundation, Eugen Brysch, the editorial network Germany (RND). “The meaningful corona radar was thus switched off.”
Overall, the number of outpatient visits to the doctor for acute respiratory diseases has fallen slightly in the past week. However, there are more visits to the doctor for such diseases than in the previous year. According to the RKI, rhinoviruses, the corona virus and influenza viruses in particular are currently leading to visits to the doctor for acute respiratory diseases. The RKI warned that the infection pressure would increase again significantly in autumn. This not only affects Covid-19 but also other acute respiratory diseases.
Annual high for occupancy expected
The German Hospital Society (DKG) again warned of a critical situation in the hospitals. The occupancy numbers have already “increased extremely and every Covid-positive patient causes significantly more work due to the higher protection against infection,” said DKG CEO Gerald Gass of the “Rheinische Post”. “We will reach the high for the year as early as next week. Other respiratory diseases are also increasing,” Gass continued. In addition, there would be high staff shortages with twice as high sick leave. This is currently a major problem for hospitals.
Lauterbach wants to present vaccination campaign
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to present a new vaccination and corona campaign in Berlin today. The focus is particularly on second vaccination boosters. A study has just shown that 19 out of 20 people in Germany have at least already developed basic immunity to the corona virus – either through vaccination or through infection. This emerges from the interim results of a representative immune study funded by the federal government, which the Federal Ministry of Research published on Thursday.