In the middle of the holiday season, the bad news about the pandemic piles up.
The number of corona infections is increasing again in Germany, while the willingness to vaccinate is falling.
On Friday, the health authorities reported 2089 positive corona tests to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), which is subordinate to the Federal Ministry of Health.
That was 633 cases, or 44 percent, more than a week earlier.
The number of newly infected people per 100,000 inhabitants in one week now amounts to 13.2.
On Thursday, this so-called seven-day incidence was 12.2.
Christian Geinitz
Business correspondent in Berlin
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The reason for the increase is the delta variant, which was first detected in India and which is particularly contagious.
But the growing mobility and joy of celebrating during the holiday season are also blamed for the increasing number of cases, as is the growing carelessness of many citizens and the weakening and neglect of protection and distance requirements.
It is noticeable that more and more young people are infected, which is also due to the lower vaccination rates in these age groups.
However, young people are less likely to show symptoms and become seriously ill.
Together with the increasing immunization, this explains why the hospitalization of Covid-19 cases is increasing less markedly despite the sharply increasing incidence.
Internet portal blocked for pharmacies
According to the Divi intensive care register, there are currently around 360 corona patients in intensive care units, of which around 200 have to be ventilated. More than 3,600 of the 22,700 available intensive care beds are vacant. The number of corona deaths has almost doubled to 34 within a week, but remains far below previous values with a similar incidence.
This is largely thanks to the progress made in vaccination, because the vaccines also help against the delta mutation. According to the RKI, 40.4 million people in Germany are now fully vaccinated, which corresponds to almost 49 percent of the total population. Around 61 percent received at least one dose. In the meantime, the availability of the preparations is no longer a bottleneck, but the willingness to vaccinate. Recently, not even 566,000 people were vaccinated in one day in this country. At the peak in early June, 1.4 million syringes were used every day, two and a half times as many as today.
Those who have been fully vaccinated have previously been able to have a digital certificate issued in pharmacies, which can be integrated into the Corona warning app and other mobile phone programs with the help of a QR code.
This evidence helps when traveling or visiting restaurants and events.
However, the procedure is temporarily no longer possible.
Because the German Pharmacists Association has blocked the Internet portal for the creation of digital vaccination certificates for thousands of pharmacies.
Intensive care physicians advertise vaccination
The reason was a security gap, it was said: According to a report by the Handelsblatt, two specialists in information technology had managed to access the vaccination record portal unnoticed and issue valid certificates, stating a fictitious pharmacy. So far, however, there have been no indications of other unauthorized access, it said. Nevertheless, the procedure is being reviewed and is therefore resting for the time being. The Association of Pharmacists is convinced that the more than 25 million vaccination certificates that have been issued so far have all come from legally registered pharmacies. The Federal Ministry of Health announced on Friday that pharmacies should be able to gradually issue corona vaccination certificates again from next week.
The federal government worries about the declining willingness to vaccinate and has repeatedly called for greater use of the offers.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) warned on Thursday that Germany was on the way to a fourth wave of infections.
The president of the intensive medical association Divi, Gernot Marx, told the Funke media group that the new wave could only be weakened with more vaccinations: "This is our most effective means against the pandemic."
RKI for PCR testing in schools
The RKI would like a vaccination quota of 85 percent in the age group between 12 and 59 years. At the moment, this goal seems difficult to achieve. In order to get closer to him, the federal states, municipalities and aid organizations want to increasingly offer uncomplicated vaccination offers in everyday life, for example without an appointment or location reference. In a new strategy paper, the RKI expects the new wave to peak at the beginning of 2022. Most infections will occur in children under 12 years of age and in people between 18 and 59 years of age. The intensive care units would have to be prepared for Covid-19 patients from the latter group as well as for over sixty-year-olds. It is now necessary to “prepare preventive measures for autumn and winter”.According to the Corona strategy paper, "focus vaccinations" and local campaigns should be prepared for regions with expected excessive outbreaks. “Booster” vaccinations for the elderly and risk groups should also be planned now.
The distance and hygiene rules are to be strictly followed, developments abroad to be kept in view and, if necessary, to be responded to quickly. With regard to schools, the institute recommends more digitization, the recruitment of additional teachers to reduce group sizes, and investments in better hygiene and air quality. Thought must also be given to introducing the school subject “health education”. Because children under the age of 12 cannot be vaccinated, they have to have regular PCR pool tests.