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The president of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, calls on the Federal Government and the EU Commission to insist that the quantities and delivery dates of vaccines guaranteed by contract be respected.
“For widespread use in practices, we need vaccines that are easy to transport and can be stored without special cooling technology,” he cited the Rheinische Mail the doctor in a preliminary report. “The Astrazeneca vaccine appears to meet these requirements. These vaccines are essential to achieve the goal of herd immunity by the summer.”
Therefore, the causes of supply problems that are now known must be fully clarified and resolved as soon as possible. Above all, particularly vulnerable population groups and those employed in clinics and care centers would have to be vaccinated before the variant of the virus, which first appeared in Britain, spreads further in Germany. “Literally every day counts.”
Merkel is apparently against tourist travel, but without a ban
Chancellor Angela Merkel currently sees Germany on the right track in the crown pandemic, but wants to cut back on tourist travel. Merkel disagreed with media reports at the CDU / CSU parliamentary group meeting on Tuesday, the Reuters news agency learned from the participants. “However, if possible, tourist trips should not be taken,” he added.
It is about reducing the risk of introducing highly contagious mutant viruses. Due to the decline in the number of corona infections, the company is on its way to being able to understand infection chains again soon, Merkel said.
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) had previously said that a massive restriction of air traffic to Germany and tighter border controls should be considered. “The threat posed by the numerous mutations of the virus demands that we also examine drastic measures and discuss them in the federal government,” said the CSU politician. image-Newspaper.
This included significantly tighter border controls, especially at borders with high-risk areas, but it also reduced air traffic to Germany to “almost zero.” He named Israel as a role model in efforts to prevent the introduction of the virus mutation as much as possible. Government circles consider this position unrealistic because Germany is at the center of Europe.
The German Travel Association was opposed to restricting travel almost entirely. Tourist travel has already been almost completely paralyzed due to the restrictions of the pandemic. The business travel sector has also declined. “Therefore, the federal government must remedy the” dramatic deficits “in vaccination and present reasonable concepts of evidence. Furthermore, the government must” urgently remember that freedom to travel is a fundamental right, not a privilege that is granted politically. “said the association.
FDP party vice president Wolfgang Kubicki also warned the federal government about a drastic travel restriction in the crown pandemic. “No flight or travel ban helps in the current situation, especially since everyone has to go through tests anyway, but a much quicker vaccination,” Kubicki told the Funke media group newspapers. “This is the only and most reliable way out of this pandemic.” This federal government covers up its failure and replaces real solutions with token policies, Kubicki said.
The background to the debate is that highly contagious corona virus mutants were also found in travelers in Germany. The mutations had previously been found in the UK, South Africa, and Brazil.
RKI: Two percent of the population vaccinated against Corona
About a month after the start of the corona vaccination campaign, two percent of the population in Germany received the first dose. This is based on data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from Tuesday. Consequently, the drug has now been administered to more than 1.6 million people once (at 10 am).
The vaccination rate continues to vary significantly by federal state: in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, 3.2 percent received the first dose, in Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia 1.6 percent each. According to RKI statistics, the majority of those vaccinated are nursing home residents, senior citizens, and hospital and nursing home staff. More than 283,000 people have received the second dose, which is supposed to be injected about three weeks after the first.
6408 new infections reported
German health authorities reported 6,408 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in one day. In addition, 903 new deaths were recorded in 24 hours, the RKI announced Tuesday morning. Last Tuesday, the RKI registered 11,369 new infections and 989 new deaths in 24 hours; however, both values contained late records from Rhineland-Palatinate.
The number of new infections reported in seven days per 100,000 residents (seven-day incidence) was 107.6 on Tuesday morning, according to the RKI. Its previous high was reached on December 22 at 197.6. The number fluctuated after that and has been dropping again for a few days.
The RKI has counted 2,148,077 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic (until midnight on January 26). The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected. The total number of people who died from or from a known infection rose to 52,990. The RKI puts the number of people who have recovered at around 1,844,000.
Corona Warning App Gets New Feature
The Corona warning app has an important feature that critics have always wanted. Important key figures from the pandemic will be displayed on an integrated Covid dashboard. After the update to version 1.11, which will be released later this week, the current numbers of new infections, the incidence of seven days and the R-value of seven days should be visible directly in the application.
That could encourage more people to install the Corona app, open it regularly, and upload their test results. In the future, users will also see in the app how many people have shared their test results. Contact persons can only be warned if patients disclose their anonymous diagnosis code. So far, only about 60 percent of those who have tested positive opt for it.
The identity of the examinees remains secret. No one should fear that the use of the application will reveal personal data or even allow conclusions to be drawn about the test result. For months, politicians have been calling for the app’s data protection to be relaxed. However, they generally do not make specific suggestions and do not explain what additional functions would be possible.
The app has been downloaded more than 25 million times and is used by around 23 million people. Around 220,000 infected people have already shared their data anonymously on the app. Since October, this has been consistently 10 to 15 percent of all sick people. In February, an update to version 1.12 should make the app compatible with older iPhone 5 and 6 models. Then they could install between a million and a half and two million additional people.
Eastern Commissioner: High infection numbers in AfD strongholds are no coincidence
The high crown numbers in the strongholds of the Alternative for Germany (AfD) are no coincidence, according to the Federal Government Commissioner for New Federal States, or Eastern Commissioner for short, Marco Wanderwitz (CDU). The rebellion against the infection protection policy hampers the defense of the virus, Wanderwitz told Germany’s editorial network on Monday. Many factors played a role in a pandemic, Wanderwitz said. Last but not least, this includes people’s attitude towards distance rules and mask requirements.
“Anyone who rejects infection protection measures, as many AfD supporters, Reich citizens and esotericists do, will ultimately help the virus spread.” The phenomenon now has a dimension that goes beyond party politics. In some regions of the former GDR, for example, there is a denial of reality, as in 2016 among Trump voters in the United States. Many simply put the complex and unwanted aside, huddle together, and then are no longer accessible to any discussion.
The first opening of schools is possible in early February
The president of the Conference of Ministers of Education, Britta Ernst, believes that the first school openings in early February are possible. “Certainly not completely”, the Brandenburg Minister of Education restricted in the Rheinische Mail to. “But I think that if there is a corresponding infection situation, it is possible, for example, with alternate lessons. However, initially this may only apply to the final classes and first grade levels.
“No country should have to wait for another to open its schools,” said the SPD politician, referring to the very different levels of contagion in the federal states. “I think it is correct when countries make a different use of the room for maneuver that resolutions offer them.”
On the question of whether there could be a flaw in the degrees obtained during the pandemic, Ernst said: “It will be these graduates who have graduated under very difficult conditions. They have learned to work even more independently. That will be theirs later. And I hope that the HR departments will also recognize potential applicants for having special value in this crisis management. A 2020 and 2021 diploma can in the future be considered a special honor, not a blemish. “
In an interview with the newspaper, the SPD politician also spoke in favor of learning opportunities during the summer holidays. “I think it’s very important. During the summer break, schools should make offers to catch up on learning materials that got in the way of distance learning. That was the case in many federal states last year.” Ernst said.
