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The number of new corona infections is only slowly declining, but according to Health Minister Spahn, a vaccine is in the offing. The Association of Cities calls for more support from the federal and state governments to establish the immunization infrastructure.
German health authorities sent 21,695 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in 24 hours. Last Saturday the figure was 22,964. The peak was reached on Friday a week ago (November 20) with 23,648 reported cases.
Health authorities also reported 379 new deaths in one day. The trend in the number of daily deaths had recently increased, which was also expected after the sharp increase in new infections. The total number of people who died with or with a proven Sars-CoV-2 infection increased to a total of 15,965. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI has counted a total of 1,028,089 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany (as of November 28, 00:00).
According to RKI’s management report on Friday night, the so-called seven-day R-value was 0.93 (previous day: 0.90). This means that, in theory, 100 infected people infect 93 other people. The value represents the appearance of the infection 8 to 16 days ago. If the value is less than 1 for a longer period of time, the infection rate decreases.
Spahn: first vaccine expected in December
According to the current status, the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn (CDU), assumes that the first anti-corona vaccine will be approved in mid-December. “That makes me proud that with Biontech a German development is right in front and, above all, not only in front, but also safe and effective,” said Spahn dem BR. It is crucial that this has also been proven in studies with tens of thousands of test people.
However, according to Spahn, Germany has obtained vaccination doses from different manufacturers, a total of more than 300 million. You want to play it safe and not rely solely on one vaccine candidate.
The City Council asks local authorities for support with vaccines
In view of the expected availability of a corona vaccine, the German Association of Cities called on the federal states to quickly provide enough medical personnel for the vaccines and to contribute to the costs of setting up vaccination centers. “If the vaccine is there, the vaccines must not fail due to understaffing,” said City Council President Burkhard Jung of the dpa news agency. “The federal, state and local governments want vaccines to be a success,” Jung emphasized. Cities supported the establishment and operation of vaccination centers. They can quickly make the necessary organizational arrangements, for example renting and equipping buildings. Costs incurred by municipalities would have to be offset by federal, state and health insurance companies, Jung demanded.
The vaccines themselves are the responsibility of the legal health insurance associations and their resident doctors, according to the mayor of Leipzig. “Due to the pandemic, the medical staff of the health authorities will remain at full capacity for the foreseeable future and will also not be able to take care of vaccines. We call on the federal states, together with statutory health insurance associations, to quickly find enough medical and nursing staff for vaccination centers and mobile vaccination teams. “
Health Minister Spahn has asked the federal states for the vaccination centers to be ready for use by mid-December. Jung cautioned against too high expectations. “We are a bit unhappy with the name of the vaccination center because people might have the impression that starting in January, in each independent city and in each district there will be a functioning facility where you can get vaccinated,” said the President of the City Council Jung. In fact, mobile vaccination teams in particular are supposed to travel to health centers and hospitals well into the spring. There, the chronically ill, the very old and the staff there would be vaccinated, Jung says. Unrealistic expectations should not be aroused. “According to the plans of the federal and state governments, mass vaccinations for the general population will not be possible until the summer at the earliest.”
Spahn: priority for healthcare workers
Health Minister Spahn made it clear that he especially hopes that hospital and nursing home employees will be vaccinated as soon as possible. Everyone can decide for themselves whether to accept this offer, Spahn said im BR. But: “In the end I already have the expectation and the request that the vast majority of those who work in the health system also get vaccinated.” It is not just about protecting yourself, but also protecting your loved ones.
The President of the Bundestag, Wolfgang Schäuble (CDU), once again emphasized the voluntary nature of a future corona vaccination. The CDU politician told the “Augsburger Allgemeine” that people needed to be willing to get vaccinated. “But there will be no compulsory vaccination. Nobody who takes responsibility wants that.”
