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The second blockade in Germany largely closes public life. Health Minister Spahn and RKI chief Wieler assess the situation and give reasons for hope.
According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the crown situation in Germany is more serious than ever in the pandemic. The number of cases is higher than ever and continues to rise, said RKI President Lothar Wieler in Berlin. There is a risk that the situation will worsen and it will become increasingly difficult to cope with the pandemic and its consequences.
With between 12,000 and 29,000 new infections reported per day, the number of cases in December was significantly higher than in November, Wieler said. 325,000 people in Germany are currently infected with SARS-CoV-2, in the summer months there were a few thousand. The 80-year-old age group is increasingly affected, with a particularly high risk of serious and deadly diseases.
Spahn defends late approval of vaccination in Germany
The fact that too many people are infected right now is “the result of some people’s carelessness,” Wieler said. The number of new infections should now decrease significantly. He asked that contacts be restricted to the bare minimum. He personally will not take advantage of the maximum number agreed to at Christmas gatherings, but will deliberately stay below it.
Health Minister Jens Spahn is counting on the early start of vaccines against the corona virus. One should be optimistic that the approval of the vaccine could take place on December 23, said the CDU politician in reference to information from the corresponding media in Berlin. This is “good news for the European Union. We are bigger than me.” The goal is to achieve European approval of the vaccine before Christmas and then start vaccinating in Germany before the turn of the year.
He defended not to provide an emergency approval, but to wait for a regular procedure from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). This is important for confidence in vaccines. For example, there are nurses who want to get vaccinated as soon as possible because they are fighting on the front lines. “But I also get a hint from other nurses that they don’t want to get vaccinated first because they don’t want to be guinea pigs.”
“Even an emergency stop will have a long skid mark”
Spahn assumes that around 60 percent of citizens in Germany could get vaccinated against the coronavirus by the end of the summer of 2021; By then, a large number of vaccination doses can be expected. According to experts from the World Health Organization, a vaccination rate of 60 to 70 percent of the population is necessary for effective control of the pandemic.
Even with the now strict crown lock, Spahn doesn’t expect any quick effects to contain the pandemic. “Even an emergency stop will have a long slip mark.” The continuous closures of facilities are necessary, which begin this Wednesday. “The closure was necessary. Better now with prospects for success than after Christmas with the risk of major side effects.” Now it is important to consistently implement the requirements in all areas.
The Health Minister is also self-critical because the partial shutdown did not have the desired effect. “We managed to break the wave of infections, but the number of infections is still too high,” Spahn explains. “Now we’ve seen a third wave build up before the second wanes.”
More and more vaccination centers are ready
The Bundeswehr, however, is ready for a comprehensive effort to support the Covid-19 vaccination campaign in Germany. Meanwhile, the central distribution warehouse is operational and ready to receive the vaccine, Lieutenant General Martin Schelleis, inspector of the Armed Forces Base and therefore national territorial commander, said in a conference call with journalists.
To further support the vaccination campaign, the Bundeswehr has 26 stationary vaccination centers with its own doctors and paramedics, corresponding to a daily capacity of 18,000 vaccines, Schelleis said. There are also 13 mobile vaccination teams that could be used.
The federal states would have to say what is needed for administrative assistance, even with the so-called helping hands of soldiers without medical training, the officer said. If necessary, the contingent of 20,000 soldiers currently in “graduated operational readiness” can be increased. Just over 100 soldiers have been asked to help with the vaccination campaign itself.
