Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has been infected with the corona virus. The 59-year-old tested positive on Thursday evening, his ministry said. He is doing well, he only has mild symptoms and is temporarily taking his official business out of domestic isolation. According to the information, Lauterbach has been vaccinated four times.
“This shows that with the highly contagious omicron variant, infection cannot be completely ruled out, even with extreme caution,” the ministry wrote. The minister therefore once again appeals to everyone to behave prudently and to ensure adequate vaccination protection so that infections and severe courses can be prevented as far as possible.
On Wednesday, Lauterbach and Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) presented a new concept to arm Germany against a possible corona wave in autumn. The focus is on wearing FFP2 or medical masks. A mask requirement in long-distance trains and airplanes should continue to apply nationwide, as well as a new mask and test requirement in hospitals and care facilities. The countries should decide for themselves whether they also require masks in publicly accessible indoor areas such as supermarkets. Masks are only compulsory in schools if face-to-face teaching is endangered – and then only from the fifth grade.
The Cologne intensive care physician Christian Karagiannidis is confident about the plans for changes to the Infection Protection Act: “In the cold season from October I don’t expect the intensive care units to be overloaded by Covid-19 like before in the pandemic,” he said Rheinische Post. However, he called for a better data basis for assessing the course of infection, for example for the utilization of the normal wards and emergency services.
Karagiannidis also called for changes to citizen tests. “If tests should become more important again in autumn and winter, then symptomatic people should also get a free rapid antigen test with a certificate,” he said.
RKI calls for booster vaccinations
Despite the current decline in the number of new infections reported in Germany, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) continues to see major challenges in the summer wave. The general infection pressure remains high, according to the institute’s weekly report on Covid-19. According to the RKI, the nationwide seven-day incidence has fallen significantly in the past week compared to the previous week – by a total of 21 percent. It was even lower at 432 on Friday morning. The incidences are declining in a weekly comparison in all federal states and age groups, writes the RKI.
When it comes to vaccinations, millions of people in Germany see a need for further action. The booster vaccination continues to provide very effective protection against severe courses, even in Omicron times. In addition to starting vaccinations for those who have not been vaccinated so far, gaps in those who have only been immunized so far would also have to be closed, writes an RKI team in the new monthly report on Covid 19 vaccinations.
According to current monitoring (as of early August), a good 85 percent of the adult population has basic immunization, a good 72 percent have received a first booster vaccination, and almost ten percent a second. According to the experts, around 1.3 million people over the age of 60 and around 7.8 million people under the age of 60 who are only basic immunized should refresh their vaccination protection with at least one vaccination. Around 7.3 million adults under the age of 60 and 1.9 million over the age of 60 would not have received a vaccination at all.