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According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), there are more crown sprouts in daycare centers. The numbers of children and adolescents under the age of 15 even increased “very rapidly,” RKI chief Lothar Wieler said. There are also more people infected by the daycare outbreak.
In the second half of February there were 87 outbreaks per week, an RKI spokeswoman explained. Wieler spoke of a possible connection to the more contagious British variant B.1.1.7.
Young children often have no symptoms of corona infections and often have not been tested, which is why experts have suspected a fairly high number of unreported cases in this group since the start of the pandemic .
A good two weeks ago, on February 22, more elementary schools and nurseries opened in several federal states. In this context, there were also more trial offers. Wieler contradicted the impression of an “artificial increase in the number of cases” that the increase was not related to an increase in testing.
After the incidence in children ages 0-4 dropped to around 35 in mid-February, it was 60 in the last reporting week, as can be seen from the RKI figures (as of March 9). Despite the increase, it remains the lowest value among age groups up to 19 years.
From an infection protection standpoint, it’s “a good way” to close daycare centers and schools, Wieler said. But you have to weigh. In facilities, for example, clear and intelligent concepts must be implemented for testing, masking, hygiene and group training. “It won’t protect 100 percent,” but the spread of infection is largely preventable.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) added: Protection against infection is important, but not absolute. A debate on the effects of months of school closings is also important.
