Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) considers a gradual end of the mask requirement to be conceivable in view of the sharply declining corona infection figures – but advises to continue wearing mouth and nose protection in case of doubt. “In the case of falling incidences, we should proceed in stages: In a first step, the mask requirement can generally be omitted outside,” Spahn told the newspapers of the Funke media group. In regions with a very low incidence and a high vaccination rate, the obligation could gradually be dropped indoors. “As a recommendation, there is always a simple rule: if in doubt, wear a mask – especially when traveling and at meetings indoors. There is only more security if everyone present is either vaccinated or regularly tested.”
Federal Minister of Justice Christine Lambrecht also called on the states to review the continuation of the mask requirement. The states would have to clarify “whether and where a mask requirement is still proportionate if the incidence numbers are low and continue to fall,” said the SPD politician Picture on sunday. “This also applies to schools, because pupils are particularly affected by the mask requirement.” Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP) called for a complete end to the mask requirement, according to the newspaper. The state governments would now have to change their ordinances quickly, otherwise they would soon be forced by the administrative courts.
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, on the other hand, speaks out against a general relaxation of the mask requirement. Only when 70 percent of adults have been fully vaccinated can a mask requirement – even indoors – be dispensed with, he says in the ZDF morning magazine. In the outdoor area, however, could already be loosened today. “Indeed, at the present time, given the low incidence, the requirement to wear a mask in outdoor areas no longer makes sense, is no longer necessary for many areas.” However, distance and a maximum number of people should be observed. In the interior, however, the mask requirement continues to make sense – also in schools. Because, according to Lauterbach, “for the current school year it would not be nice if the children were infected shortly before the summer vacation”.
According to the decision of the Prime Minister’s Conference in January, so-called surgical masks or FFP2 masks are to be worn on public transport and when shopping. The federal states are responsible for implementing the rule; further regulations may apply regionally. In Denmark, the obligation to wear a mask for almost all areas of public life will be lifted from this Monday. The only exception to this is public transport – but only there if you are not sitting. (14.06.2021)
Nationwide incidence drops to 16.6
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 549 new positive tests. That is 568 less than on Monday a week ago. The seven-day incidence drops further to 16.6 from 17.3 the previous day. The value indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have contracted the coronavirus in the past seven days. Ten other people died related to the virus. This increases the total number of reported corona deaths within 24 hours to 89 844. In total, more than 3.7 million corona tests have so far been positive in Germany. The Monday values are usually less meaningful than those on other days of the week because not all health authorities transmit their data to the RKI on the weekend and are less tested. (14.06.2021)
Johnson & Johnson has to deliver 6.5 million vaccine doses in July
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, production problems at the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson (J&J) mean that around 6.5 million fewer corona vaccine doses will be delivered to Germany than planned by the end of June. “That is regrettable, because every vaccination dose counts. We therefore expect J&J to deliver this amount as soon as possible in July,” said a spokesman when asked.
The background to this is that US authorities are following information from the New York Times ordered the destruction of nearly 60 million doses of vaccine from batches manufactured at the J&J facility in Baltimore. The US authorities have discovered numerous defects in the plant.
The spokesman for the Ministry of Health pointed out that it is currently expected “that Biontech with 50.3 million doses, Moderna with 6.4 million doses and Astra Zeneca with 12.4 million doses each meet their current delivery commitments for the second quarter” . (13.06.2021)
Almost half of Germans have been vaccinated for the first time
More than 40 million people in Germany have so far received at least one vaccination against the coronavirus. This corresponds to 48.1 percent of the total population, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from Saturday morning. More than one in four people (21.35 million people or 25.7 percent) are now fully vaccinated.
According to the RKI, a total of 60.1 million vaccine doses have been administered in Germany so far, 965,478 of them on Friday. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) wrote on Twitter for the first time on three days that the million mark for daily vaccinations was cracked this week. According to the RKI, around two thirds of all vaccinations were given in vaccination centers and one third in doctor’s offices.
Among the federal states, Bremen continues to have the highest proportion of first-time vaccinations with 52.9 percent, while Saxony remains at the bottom with 43.0 percent. With 30.4 percent, Saarland has the highest proportion of residents with complete vaccination protection and has so far administered the most vaccination doses per inhabitant. According to the RKI, the vaccination campaign is running slowest in Hamburg, which is also one of the countries that have received the fewest vaccine doses so far.
The vaccination campaign against the Sars-CoV-2 pathogen began in Germany at the end of last year. First, it was the turn of people over 80, residents of old people’s and nursing homes and medical staff. Among other things, chronically ill people with an increased risk of a serious and fatal course are given preference to vaccinate. Since last Monday, people can be vaccinated regardless of the previously valid list of priorities.
Second vaccine for company doctors
For the first time, the preparation from Johnson & Johnson is to be available as a second vaccine for corona vaccinations via company doctors. In the week from June 21, 192,000 cans of it are to be delivered, as the Federal Ministry of Health said on Saturday. Then there are 602 550 cans from Biontech, making a total of 794 550 cans. At the start, the company doctors received 702,000 cans from Biontech in the first week from June 7th, and in the coming week from June 14th it will be 602,550.
Doctors’ practices are expected to receive around 3.3 million doses of vaccine in the week of June 21, namely 2.84 million doses from Biontech and 504,000 from Astra Zeneca. According to the new delivery data, the federal states are to receive around 700,000 more doses for the vaccination centers in June than initially planned, as the Ministry of Health said. In the coming week there will be an extra 400,000 cans from Astra Zeneca. Several countries wanted to use this for primary vaccinations. (06/12/2021)
City Council would like to receive vaccination centers
From the point of view of the German Association of Cities, the corona vaccination centers should continue to be operated in the long term. “With the expected rush, the vaccination centers with their large capacities, for example in exhibition halls, are too important to simply handle them,” said General Manager Helmut Dedy of the Passauer Neue Presse with a view to increasing vaccine deliveries. “In addition, the mobile vaccination teams are starting from the vaccination centers in care facilities and social hot spots. We need high-performance structures. The pandemic is not over yet.”
The head of the general practitioner association, Ulrich Weigeldt, argued that the costs were too high. It is “more than questionable to maintain structures from which one hears again and again that the costs per vaccination are about ten times as expensive as in the medical practice,” he said Editorial network Germany. “Instead of artificially keeping the vaccination centers alive, politicians should put their energy into sensible planning of the vaccine supply for the booster vaccinations.” (06/12/2021)