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Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn is concerned about the growing number of new corona infections in Germany. “We are all concerned about the increase in numbers and rightly so, but we are not powerless to deal with the virus,” he said at the federal press conference on Wednesday. “But we can all make a real difference.”
This requires freedom and resignation, said the Health Minister. However, that also means “giving up something today to have more tomorrow.” “We want to make Christmas possible with the family and the next few weeks with the fewest possible restrictions,” he said. “We can all spoil the game because of the virus.”
The number of new corona infections has risen again in Germany: Health authorities reported 5132 cases to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Tuesday. There haven’t been as many new infections since April. However, the figures are difficult to compare because testing capabilities have also increased. The total number of confirmed cases amounted to 334,585. The RKI recorded an increase in deaths from 13 the day before to 43.
“Today we know more about the virus”
The virus is now more widespread in the population, but the pandemic cannot be assessed as worse than in the spring, RKI chief Lothar Wieler said. “The key difference is that we now have more knowledge about the virus,” he said. In March they had no experience, no protective clothing, and no mature hygiene concepts. “Now we know exactly what measures we can take: we can put out a fire that starts faster.”
“The severe cycles of Covid-19 will continue to increase, so we have to prevent an increase in flu sickness,” Wieler said of the need for flu vaccines, which the press conference was primarily about. Covid-19 could cause suffering that could last for months. “If there are a lot of Covid-19 cases and a lot of flu cases, we fear that the healthcare system will be overloaded,” Wieler said. Therefore, it is important to keep corona and flu numbers low. There has been an effective flu vaccine for many decades.
It is important that especially risk groups and healthcare workers get vaccinated at an early stage, Spahn said. He also had himself vaccinated: “This is a small puncture with three effects: it protects me, it protects others and it protects the health system,” he said. This year an additional six million doses of flu vaccine were ordered. That was almost double what was inoculated last season. A total of around 26 million doses of vaccines will be available in Germany. To facilitate access to the flu vaccine, Spahn considered vaccines in pharmacies.
