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Drosten expects a “very difficult” first half of the year
8:16 am: The chief virologist of the Berlin Charité, Christian Drosten, expects the first six months of the corona crisis to be a challenge in 2021. “I am already looking ahead to the new year with optimism, but I think the first half of the year will be very complicated, “Drosten told the Berliner Morgenpost. It assumes that the situation could improve in the second half of the year, “but only if it manages to vaccinate a large number of people in the first six months.”
Regarding criticism of the procedure for obtaining vaccines, Drosten said that “now it is practically impossible to evaluate it in retrospect.” The EU had to request the vaccine months in advance and at the time had no idea “if the vaccine in question would work”. The scientist noted that after the Biontech vaccine, the AstraZeneca vaccine had already been approved in Great Britain. »In the EU, you should get up to speed on this very quickly, because this vaccine can also be used in normal medical practices. With this vaccine, they don’t need to keep you cold. “
With a view to discussing an extension of the confinement in Germany, the virologist said that in view of the lower number of tests during the holidays, there are currently no reliable data. however, the percentage of positive tests »shows that the numbers are not decreasing at this time. This is not right. “It was only in mid-January that it was possible to say whether the blockade would have to extend until February.
Laschet against compulsory vaccination and the privileges of vaccinated people
8 am: North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet speaks out against mandatory vaccination and privileges for vaccinated people. This also applies to people who want to visit lonely relatives in hospitals or nursing homes, says the CDU politician from the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung”. “There should be no pressure to vaccinate. That is the primary prayer. ”
Loneliness in homes and hospitals is a very serious matter. However, people should not be pressured to get vaccinated. He opposed compulsory vaccination and therefore also “measures that give the impression that the state is imposing vaccination.” There are other ways to get access, like faster tests and enough FFP2 masks. “And if at some point it’s not enough, we have to think again.”
RKI: 10,315 new corona cases in Germany
7.35 am: German health authorities reported 10,315 new corona infections in one day on Sunday. In addition, 312 new deaths were recorded in 24 hours, as announced in the morning by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
However, it is difficult to interpret the data at this time because fewer people are likely to be tested over the Christmas holidays and around the turn of the year and not all offices can pass on your data. According to the RKI, this can result in late registrations.
The number of new infections reported to health authorities in seven days per 100,000 inhabitants (incidence in seven days) was 139.6 on Sunday morning. Its previous high was reached on December 22 at 197.6.
The differences between the federal states are huge: Saxony had the highest incidences on Saturday with 329.7 and Thuringia with 248.9. Schleswig-Holstein had the lowest value with 77.4.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI has counted 1,765,666 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany (as of January 3, 00:00 am). The total number of people who died with a proven Sars-CoV-2 infection rose to 34,272. The RKI stated the number of people who had recovered at around 1,381,900.
According to the RKI report on Saturday, the national seven-day R-value was 0.95. This R-value means that 100 infected people theoretically infect 95 more people. The value represents the onset of infection 8-16 days ago. If it is below 1 for a long time, the infection process subsides.
In its report, however, the RKI emphasizes that at the end of the year, corona cases are only discovered, recorded and transmitted late, so the R-value may be underestimated.
Realschullehrer-Verband: clear rules for lessons according to incidence
07:27 am: After the end of the Christmas holidays, according to the Association of Teachers of the German Realschule, clear rules should be applied to alternate and distance lessons based on the number of corona infections. “Face-to-face classes up to 50, alternate classes from 50 and distance learning from 100, we would use it as a guide,” said the president of the association of German and Bavarian high school teachers, Jürgen Böhm, of the German press agency.
A value of 150 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days can still be argued. “But now we have to make clear statements about how we will act in the coming weeks and months,” emphasized Böhm. There is no point driving crowded students around the area on buses after the break while infection rates are so high.
“In some federal states they still do not want to understand that there is an infection process in schools and that children, young people and teachers are infected there,” explained Böhm. “This fact is underestimated with an ignorance and arrogance that almost leaves you speechless.”
New BDI boss Russwurm fears distribution battles due to Corona
7:05 am: The new BDI chairman Siegfried Russwurm fears bitter disputes over the question of who bears the burden of the crown crisis and the state bailout packages. “In the end, we all pay for it,” Russwurm told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung. Fiery distribution battles can already be seen when calls are made for higher corporate taxes or a property tax. “Behind this is the misconception that it would help someone withdraw investment funds from companies,” says the president of the Federation of German Industries. “When the burden is too high, companies suffer, and with them our country.”
Schwesig: “Germany must not lag behind in vaccine supply”
6.45 am: Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig calls on the federal government to do more to provide the corona vaccine. “We could vaccinate significantly more people if more vaccines were available, in particular to protect older people at high risk from the coronavirus as quickly as possible and thus alleviate the health system,” the SPD politician told the network publishing house Germany. “Germany should not be left behind when it comes to providing the vaccine compared to other countries.”
CNN Report: Chat Host Larry King With Covid-19 At The Clinic
04:52 am: According to a media report, legendary American talk show host Larry King is ill with Covid-19 and must be hospitalized. The 87-year-old TV star was brought to the Los Angeles clinic just over a week ago, her former employer reported to CNN on Saturday, citing her family’s background. Currently, her three children cannot visit King due to infection control rules. At first nothing was known about the severity of his illness.
King became known with his show “Larry King Live,” which aired from 1985 to 2010 on CNN. His almost always the same outfit with horn-rimmed glasses, shirt and suspenders became his trademark. On the show, the award-winning journalist interviewed Hollywood stars, athletes, top executives and top-tier politicians, including Russian Kremlin chief Vladimir Putin and American presidents from Gerald Ford to Barack Obama.
The German Realschullehrerverband insists on clear rules, for example when it comes to alternate lessons, and accuses the policy of ignorance. “Those responsible must finally recognize that advocacy values and distance rules must also be implemented and enforced in schools,” says the head of the association, Jürgen Böhm, of the German publishing network. “A seven-day incidence value of 50 was and is a sensitive cutoff value to which mandatory alternate instruction should apply in all grades from 5.” Above a value of 50, health authorities can barely understand the chains of infection. If the number of cases exceeds 100, schools should switch to distance learning. For the most part, schools are prepared for the situation and can organize and carry out lessons in alternate models or at a distance.
Söder calls for politicians to get vaccinated as soon as possible
03.41 am: Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder calls for the shutdown to be extended for three weeks. “The blockade should be extended until the end of January,” says Söder of “Bild am Sonntag”. “The numbers are too high. The effects of Christmas and New Year’s Eve cannot yet be foreseen. ‘This could only be accurately assessed in mid-January.
At the same time, Söder is in favor of the vaccine being manufactured “even under license from other companies in Germany” if possible, in order to speed up the vaccination campaign. The EU ordered very little vaccine and trusted the wrong manufacturers, according to the report.
Söder also calls for politicians and other public figures to get vaccinated as soon as possible to increase their willingness to vaccinate. It is necessary “that in the near future the leaders of the state and federal states as well as other public figures set a good example as role models.”
Saudi Arabia lifts entry ban
1:32 am: After two weeks, Saudi Arabia is lifting an entry ban that was issued due to the new, more contagious variant of the virus. The ban ends on Sunday, the state news agency reports.
