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The fourth corona wave is rolling and almost all parameters are already higher than a year ago. Two thirds of the population are now fully vaccinated. Only: that is not enough.
Berlin – Corona infections are rising sharply again – and even earlier than a year ago: The warnings of renewed emergencies in the clinics and a wait-and-see policy of eye-to-eye are therefore becoming louder.
The medical staff is at the limit and nobody wants to experience again that predictable operations have to be canceled, said medical president Klaus Reinhardt of the German press agency. “Those who, for whatever reason, have not yet vaccinated should also be aware of this.” Reinhardt advocated booster vaccinations and decisive action: “The situation is still manageable.”
The head of the teachers’ association, Heinz-Peter Meidinger, criticized the lifting of the mask requirement in class in some federal states. The politicians there set “against the express advice of the Robert Koch Institute responsible in Germany for the risk assessment of infectious diseases and the majority of virologists” to relax at a time when health protection measures should be intensified, he told the “Rheinische Post”.
The Vice-Chair of the Ethics Council, Susanne Schreiber, told the newspaper: “Even if severe courses occur less often in children, hundreds of children will be affected by complications if there are severe infections.” And: “An eye-to-and-through mentality is not enough here. “
Criticism of equipment in schools
For the Union of Education and Science (GEW) and the Association of Education and Upbringing (VBE), a return to the mask requirement depends on local incidences. However, both associations insist on the widespread use of air filters in schools in order to contain any corona viruses. Many schools are “still not equipped as necessary,” said GEW boss Maike Finnern to the editorial network Germany (RND). VBE President Udo Beckmann complained that only a quarter of the schools use individual air filters. “That is simply not enough.”
Many corona parameters are already significantly higher than at the same time in the previous year: This morning the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 21,543 new infections, a seven-day value per 100,000 inhabitants of 145.1 and 90 new deaths. On Friday, 1808 corona patients were recorded in the intensive care units. Although two thirds of the population are now fully vaccinated, the risk through and for unvaccinated people is correspondingly higher. According to the RKI, in order to be able to contain the pandemic at all, a vaccination rate of 85 to 90 percent would be necessary for those over twelve – supplemented by booster vaccinations to counter the declining effect.
Third vaccination for the elderly
Reinhardt, head of the German Medical Association, said: “The third corona vaccination can significantly reduce the risk of infection, especially for older and previously ill people.” The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) therefore has clear vaccination recommendations for people over the age of 70, those with previous illnesses and people from certain professions pronounced. He urgently advises citizens from these groups to take advantage of offers for third-party vaccinations. “In addition to vaccinations in medical practices, we need as many low-threshold vaccinations as possible at work, in nursing homes and in senior care facilities,” said the medical president.
The virologist Hendrik Streeck believes that the course of the pandemic will be decided in the old people’s and nursing homes. “Despite the vaccination, there is still the deadly hotspot of the pandemic. That means above all: to offer a booster vaccination widely and to test it consistently and regularly in old people’s and nursing homes, ”he told the“ Welt am Sonntag ”.
Eight dead after the outbreak in old people’s home
Streeck is also likely to see himself confirmed by a corona outbreak in a senior citizens’ residence in Brandenburg, which, according to a media report, has already cost eight residents their lives. A total of 42 residents and 15 employees in the facility in Schorfheide on Werbellinsee are sick with Covid-19, the health department of the Barnim district confirmed to Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg. Only about 50 percent of the employees in the home had been vaccinated, significantly less than among the residents, said medical officer Heike Zander to the radio station Antenne Brandenburg. She is “unhappy” that vaccinations in care facilities are still voluntary. “For me that also has something to do with a career setting.”
Medical representatives meanwhile criticized Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), who had pointed out that booster vaccinations are recommended for risk groups, but are basically possible for everyone. “We are annoyed that Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn is fueling expectations,” said Armin Beck, board member of the Association of General Practitioners, the editorial network Germany. “The general practitioners follow the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission, and this currently recommends third vaccinations only for over 70-year-olds and a few other groups.” However, Spahn’s statements mean that the need for information and discussion in the practices is increasing. dpa
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