In Germany, the number of new corona infections is rising again. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 105,840 new cases within 24 hours on Tuesday. The nationwide seven-day incidence rose from 332 the day before to 447. In Germany, the incidence only records infections confirmed by a PCR test. Many infections that are asymptomatic or that are only confirmed with a positive rapid test if the symptoms are clear are therefore not counted.
107 more people died in 24 hours related to the virus. This increased the number of reported deaths in Germany to 139,914. The number of corona patients in the intensive care units of the hospitals also increased again: after 611 on Sunday there were 640 on Monday.
However, the number of new infections in particular is still subject to strong fluctuations due to reporting delays. The new infections detected at the weekend are often only recorded at the beginning of the following week. However, the trend of the seven-day incidence, with which the development of the number of cases can be recorded over a longer period of time, remains meaningful. According to calculations by Süddeutsche Zeitung The incidence has more than doubled in the past week.
After the significant decline in the number of corona cases in early summer, there are now signs of a third wave with omicron virus variants. According to the RKI, the rapidly spreading new variants are BA.4 and BA.5. “This suggests that these omicron sublines should account for the majority of evidence in a few weeks,” says the RKI weekly report. The RKI writes that an increase in the number of infections and a renewed increase in infection pressure on particularly vulnerable groups of people can be expected in the summer and not only in the autumn.
Discussion on Infection Protection Act
The European Agency for Disease Prevention (ECDC) warned that BA.4 and BA.5 do not appear to pose a higher risk of serious disease than other omicron forms. However, there is a risk that an increase in the number of cases alone due to higher transmission rates will lead to higher numbers in clinics and deaths.
The renewed increase could also be favored by a slowly declining vaccination protection in the population. A total of just over 2,000 people were vaccinated on Monday. 77.6 percent of the population have been vaccinated at least once.
The traffic light coalition is currently discussing when and how it wants to adapt the Infection Protection Act to the new situation. The current regulations for basic protection measures, such as a limited obligation to wear a mask, apply until September 23. While the FDP does not want a new regulation until after the summer break, the SPD and the Greens are pushing for a debate as soon as possible.