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Nearly 2,300 new corona infections in one day, more than since April. Health Minister Spahn said the health system could still handle it. The situation is getting worse in neighboring countries.
Despite the growing number of corona infections, the German healthcare system is not yet overloaded, according to federal Health Minister Jens Spahn. Spahn commented on the nearly 2,300 new infections in one day on Twitter. “Right now our health system can handle the situation well, but the dynamics in Europe are worrying,” said the Health Minister. He asked for compliance with the rules of distance and hygiene.
German health authorities had reported 2,297 new corona cases to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in 24 hours, the highest value since April. The peak of new infections reported daily was over 6,000 in late March / early April. Then the number tended to decrease and increased again since July.
The number of new infections detected depends, among other things, on how many people are being tested. Here, too, Germany is setting a record: Last week, 1.12 million tests were performed, the Federal Ministry of Health said.
Various cities and districts tear the limit values
Some cities and counties exceeded the critical limit for new infections of more than 50 cases per 100,000 residents in seven days. Munich is affected, for example. The city reached a value of 50.7 yesterday, according to statistics from the State Office of Health and Food Safety, which are updated daily. The limit was also exceeded in other Bavarian regions. The city of Würzburg (70.38), the city of Kaufbeuren (61.51), the Garmisch-Partenkirchen district (58.78) and the Kulmbach district (50.11) are particularly affected.
In the Cloppenburg district of Lower Saxony, additional restrictions apply to public life in some communities. There, in the last week, 61.5 new infections were reported for every 100,000 inhabitants. Since yesterday, a maximum of six people have been allowed to meet privately until October 4. Associations are prohibited from holding meetings, restaurants must close at 10 pm Schools had been closed previously. The city of Löningen and the communities of Essen, Lastrup and Lindern are affected by the restrictions, as district manager Johann Wimberg said.
The number of infections in neighboring countries is also increasing
But the number of infections is not only increasing in Germany, neighboring countries are also severely affected. French authorities reported a new high of 13,215 new infections in the 24 hours on Friday night.
The development in Poland is similar: there too, the numbers rose to a high level: with 1,002 new infections in one day, the country recorded more cases than ever since the start of the pandemic. However, the federal government is not planning entry restrictions and border controls as in the spring.
When will the vaccine arrive?
The Paul Ehrlich Institute is still awaiting approval of corona vaccines by late 2020 or early 2021. Currently, nine candidate vaccines are in final clinical phase III, said institute head Klaus Cichutek, broadcasters RTL and ntv. The timing is speculative, “but let’s wait for the first approvals at the end of this year, with the beginning of next.” The Paul Ehrlich Institute, the German Federal Vaccine Institute, has held this view unchanged for a long time.
Even if vaccines are approved at this time, it will take several months for a vaccine to become available nationwide in Germany. Then, it would be the RKI’s job to decide for Germany which population groups should be vaccinated first, Cichutek said.
Experts should regulate vaccine distribution
The newspapers of the Funke media group had previously reported, with reference to government circles, that there should be a regulation for the distribution of a possible vaccine by the end of October. Consequently, a group of physicians, ethicists, and social scientists should develop principles. In addition to the members of the RKI Permanent Commission on Vaccination (Stiko), researchers from the Leopoldina National Academy of Sciences and members of the German Ethics Council should also be included.
The justification for the step is that the question of distribution, given the initially low doses of the vaccine, not only has a medical dimension, but also an ethical and socio-political dimension, according to the newspaper’s report. Federal Health Minister Spahn had repeatedly spoken out in favor of basically allowing people with previous illnesses, the elderly, and employees of the health and nursing system to come first.
