“The world has better things to do than dwell on Putin’s great power fantasies.”
(Photo: imago images/Future Image)
Berlin For a long time there was only one topic in Germany: Corona and the consequences. Since Russian tanks rolled into Ukraine, the pandemic has been pushed into the background. But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) warns against weighing yourself in a false sense of security.
Speaking to the capital’s journalists on Friday, Lauterbach was dismayed by the “criminal violation of international law” by Russian President Vladimir Putin, whom he alleges “narcissistic needs for recognition”. The war in Ukraine was “disturbing and sad in every respect,” stressed the SPD politician. “The world has better things to do than dwell on Putin’s great power fantasies.”
Lauterbach is thinking about the fight against climate change as well as fighting the pandemic, which is far from over. It is true that the number of cases in Germany is currently falling. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 210,743 new infections within 24 hours on Friday – 9305 fewer than a week ago. The nationwide seven-day incidence falls slightly to 1259.5 from 1265.0 the previous day.
However, according to Lauterbach, the actual number of cases is likely to be higher because not all new infections are recognized or reported. There are still 200 to 300 deaths per day related to Corona.
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In addition, the contagious BA2 variant is spreading, which currently accounts for 16 to 17 percent of all cases and could be dominant until all drastic corona measures are planned to be lifted from March 20th.
Lauterbach therefore urgently warned against going beyond the steps decided in the last federal-state round of easing, otherwise the number of cases would increase again. Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) and the prime ministers decided in mid-February to phase out corona measures.
Lauterbach is working on a new version of the Infection Protection Act
The Minister of Health emphasized that he “expressly does not share the assessment that there will be a “Freedom Day” at the beginning of spring and that the pandemic will then be over. His ministry is currently working on a new version of a “substantive” infection protection law that will allow the federal states to use measures such as hygiene rules or contact restrictions beyond March 20 if necessary. A draft will be presented to the parliamentary groups “soon”.
Lauterbach justified the fact that countries such as Denmark, Great Britain or France had long since decided on more far-reaching opening steps with the higher vaccination rate among older people. In Denmark, for example, almost 100 percent of those over 60 are vaccinated twice, in Germany it is 88.5 percent. A good 77 percent of people in the 60+ age group received a booster vaccination.
>> Read here: Current developments on the pandemic in the Corona Newsblog
“Germany has to go its own way because we have a special situation,” said Lauterbach. Older people in particular are still at risk, emphasized RKI boss Lothar Wieler. For those over 80, the seven-day incidence is rising against the trend, and more and more corona outbreaks are being observed in retirement homes. And of the around 2,300 Covid patients who have to be treated in intensive care units, almost three quarters are 60 years or older.
Wieler therefore referred to the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), which provides for a second booster injection three months after the first booster vaccination for over 70-year-olds and residents of nursing homes. A second booster vaccination is also recommended for nursing staff, but only six months after the first.
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