The value indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have to be treated in hospital for an infection with Covid-19 within a week. It has replaced the seven-day incidence as the most important indicator of the pandemic.
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert spoke of a “very good development” in Berlin on Monday. It shows that the measures are working. The 3G rule – i.e. access to certain indoor spaces only for vaccinated, convalescent and negative people – contributed to this success.
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In its weekly report, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) names the end of the vacation and travel season as well as the start of school as the reason for this – previously forecast differently – development of the corona situation. Forecasts by the institute from July had predicted that the number of cases would only increase exponentially at the beginning of October and that the situation in the intensive care units could then become critical again.
Prospect of vaccination for children
The Leipzig epidemiologist Markus Scholz therefore warns against writing off the pandemic. “In 2020 we had a very similar course,” Scholz told the Handelsblatt. “Here, too, there was a sideways movement in the number of infections until around the end of September, before the second wave picked up speed in October.”
In the group of twelve to 17 year olds, around 40 percent are currently vaccinated at least once. A vaccine for younger people has not yet been approved. Health Minister Spahn announced on Monday that this could be the case at the beginning of next year. At the same time, he pointed out that it would take some more time before the Standing Committee on Vaccination would recommend it.
Overall, 63 percent of the population in Germany are fully vaccinated. The vaccination rate has increased slightly in the past week after declining for months. As the reason for this, Spahn named the federal and state vaccination week with special vaccination offers.
The positive development of the pandemic also fueled calls for the remaining corona measures in Germany to be lifted. Denmark recently took this step with a vaccination rate of around 74 percent of the total population. England lifted all measures in July under the plan of a Freedom Day.
“A Freedom Day must not be rushed, but it must not be taboo,” said the health expert of the Union parliamentary group, Michael Hennrich (CDU), the Handelsblatt. “I therefore suggest that the federal and state governments review all measures by mid-October at the latest and decide whether they can be lifted.”
Debate on Freedom Day
At the beginning of the cold season, this question could be assessed better than it is now. “If the hospitalization rate is still low and stable, in my opinion nothing speaks against a Freedom Day in the foreseeable future. We have to dare more Great Britain. ”Current developments suggest that the fourth wave is under control.
The health policy spokeswoman for the FDP, Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus, called the discussion about an end to all measures right. “However, we have to watch the developments in the next few weeks or in the hot phase (autumn / winter) very closely,” she said. The goal must continue to be to achieve a vaccination rate of over 80 percent. “The Federal Government’s week of action was unfortunately too short,” she said. “We don’t need a vaccination week, but a vaccination marathon.”
Chancellery chief Helge Braun (CDU), on the other hand, rejected a Freedom Day in autumn on Sunday. The federal government also rejected calls for a fixed date for an end to the measures. “From today’s perspective, there is no basis to say that day X is the day on which all restrictions fall,” said government spokesman Seibert on Monday in Berlin.
Rather, there is good reason to allow basic measures such as distance and mask requirements to continue to apply. There are still “far too many” unvaccinated people and large regional differences in the vaccination rate in the federal states. In addition, those who have recovered, who have been vaccinated and who have been tested already have a wide range of opportunities to participate in social life again.
The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Andreas Gassen, had called for all restrictions to be lifted by October 30th. “After the experience from Great Britain, we should also have the courage to do what has worked on the island,” he said at the weekend.
More: End of all corona measures: that’s what experts say about the German “Freedom Day”