Andreas Jassin, president of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), is convinced that there must be major changes in the testing process in relation to the coronavirus and that one should focus on symptomatic cases. „There will be a focus on providing people with PCR tests that may be released from quarantine,” Jacin said on Phoenix Television.

The number of infections is already „much higher” than the figure reported by RKI, because many infections are no longer observed. “We have been subjected to a certain control delusion for several months,” the KBV CEO said. You only have a complete overview of the epidemic in a few areas, such as hospital admissions and people to be treated in intensive care units. (14.01.2022)

The first vaccinations with Novavax in February

In Germany, the first people will be immunized against the coronavirus with a dead vaccine within five weeks. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced that Novavax will deliver the first 1.75 million doses to Germany on February 21. Novavax has been approved in the European Union for only three weeks. Unlike the other four approved vaccines against coronavirus, it is not a vector or mRNA vaccine, but is classified as an inactivated vaccine. Lauterbach said the Novavax vaccine would „also be recommended” and made available especially to those „who prefer this type of vaccination.” Another 3.25 million doses were purchased. It’s still unclear when it will be delivered – but he’s hoping in the last week of February. (14.01.2022)

Berlin transport companies are cutting back on bus services due to Omikron

The Omikron wave is affecting local transport in the German capital. As more and more employees call in sick, Berliner Verkehrsbetriebe (BVG) has to put in place restrictions in order to continue to maintain a stable schedule. The restrictions initially only affect bus services, As announced by the company. A revised schedule will apply there from January 19th. Fewer buses operate, among other things, on bus line 100, which is popular with tourists, and there will be only a 20-minute interval in the future. According to BVG, there may be further restrictions from January 24th. (14.01.2022)

Austria has become a high-risk area again

The federal government once again classified neighboring Austria as a high-risk area from Sunday due to the high number of coronavirus infections. The exceptions to this are the communities of Mittelberg and Jungholz as well as the Rißtal in Karwendel with the village of Hinterriß. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute.

As of Sunday, all nine countries neighboring Germany are on the risk list. Denmark, Poland, the Czech Republic, Switzerland, France, Luxembourg, Belgium and the Netherlands have long been classified as high-risk areas. In addition to Austria, there are more than 30 other countries on the list, many of them in Africa and the Caribbean. In total, approximately 140 of about 200 countries in the world would be on the risk list.

Anyone entering the country from a high-risk area who has not been vaccinated or fully recovered must remain in quarantine for ten days and can only exit five days after entering with a negative test as soon as possible. The designation as a high-risk area is associated with a travel warning from the Federal Department of State for non-essential tourist trips. It’s easy for tourists to cancel flights that are already booked for free, but that doesn’t mean a travel ban.

Countries and regions with a high risk of infection are categorized as high risk areas. However, it is not only the number of infections that is the determining factor in this. Other criteria are the speed at which the virus is spreading, the burden on the healthcare system and the lack of data on the case of the coronavirus. (14.01.2022)

Lauterbach: „We are entering difficult waters”

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is warning of the spread of the omicron variant in the coming days and weeks. „We are entering difficult waters,” he said before the federal news conference. Hospitals and testing labs are likely to reach their capacity limits. So also arrange for laboratories to prioritize evaluation of PCR tests for workers in clinics, homes for the disabled, and nursing homes.

Lauterbach again promoted the strict Corona rules. What the federal and state governments have decided so far is working. This is evidenced by the fact that the doubling time – that is, the time when the number of corona cases doubles – is relatively high in an international comparison of less than seven days. This indicates that it will not spread so quickly. The goal, Lauterbach said, is „to expand and reduce the inevitable growing number of infections, so that we can get through the fourth wave with as few casualties as possible.” During this time, you should continue to provide the booster vaccination to several people. The „contagion” could not be accepted because it was not clear how many people would die next.

At the same time, Lauterbach considers that the current measures to combat Corona are sufficient. However, he is concerned that the 2-G-plus regulation agreed upon in the restaurant trade will not be enforced everywhere – Bavaria, for example, has not – and that controls are not enough. „A easing can be ruled out for the time being,” the SPD politician added. If an overburden of medical care is to be expected, „other measures must of course be taken to counteract it.”

“The number of cases will continue to rise” — and so will the number of deaths — said Lothar Wheeler, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). At the same time, one has to assume that more and more cases will never be known – since infected people are showing fewer symptoms, laboratories are overburdened and health authorities cannot keep up with the reports. Like Lauterbach, Wieler has campaigned for more vaccinations and preventive measures: Wearing a mask is also an option in your home.

Virologist Christian Drosten warned that residents in Germany would already be infected. He says that three million people over the age of 60 have not yet been vaccinated, and nearly nine million people have not been boosted, and therefore are not fully protected against the omicron virus variant. But at some point you have to „let the virus spread” because you can’t keep vaccinating the population. (14.01.2022)

Federal Council launches new quarantine rules

New quarantine regulations could come for people with corona and their contacts. After the Bundestag, the Bundesrat also approved a regulation on Friday that sets a legal framework for this. Among other things, it states that people in contact with coronavirus who have been vaccinated three times no longer have to go into quarantine. In addition, this allows for shorter quarantine periods in the event of infection in order to prevent the collapse of individuals in critical care areas when the number of infections increases sharply.

In the special session of the State Assembly, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said the epidemic had reached a „front”. You are in your third year. This raises the question of whether the epidemic can be defused in a way that leads to a pandemic with sporadic outbreaks and few deaths – or whether that opportunity will be missed. „We have to seize this opportunity and we have the means to do so. We have the means to end the epidemic largely in Germany this year.” (14.01.2022)

New rises in new infections and the occurrence of seven days

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a new rise with 92,223 new cases of corona after setting a record negative the day before. That’s 35,888 more cases than on Friday a week ago, when 56,335 positive tests were reported. The seven-day nationwide infection rate rose to 470.6 from 427.7 the day before. 286 people have died in connection with the virus. This brings the number of reported deaths to 115,337. So far, more than 7.83 million corona tests have been positive in Germany. (14.01.2022)

WHO recommends two additional medicines for Covid-19 patients

A panel from the World Health Organization (WHO) recommends the use of Eli Lilly’s drugs, as well as Glaxo Smith Kline and Vir Biotechnology, to treat Covid-19 patients. like from chat British Medical Journal According to the published report, the World Health Organization wants to expand treatment options with recommendations. According to this, Eli Lilly’s drug baricinib is said to improve patients’ hospital stay and reduce the need for ventilation. According to the World Health Organization, GSK-Vir antibody therapy, which has already been shown to be effective against omicron in laboratory tests, is appropriate for infected patients who are likely to require hospitalization. (14.01.2022)

Omikron’s share in Germany rises to 73%

Omicron is now the predominant variant in Germany. The national share is now 73.3 percent, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported in its weekly report. The prevalence of the delta variant, which has long dominated, shrank to 25.9 percent.

A week ago, RKI put Omikron’s stake in Germany at 44.3 percent. Prevalence is increasing in all federal states and ranges from 11 percent in Mecklenburg-Vorpommern to 96 percent in Bremen. The fluctuations and differences also result from the different intensity of testing for variants in individual federal states, delays in laboratory diagnostic registration and relocation as well as diffusion from urban areas.

RKI also indicates that there is a very high workload in laboratories. „In order to ensure timely diagnostic care for Sars-CoV-2 patients, it is urgently necessary to prioritize testing in accordance with the national testing strategy,” the institute explains. Limitations on testing capabilities are mainly related to personnel, as personnel in laboratories are also affected by the higher infection rate. (13.01.2022)