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The number of new coronavirus infections has reached a peak in Germany. Health authorities reported 23,679 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in 24 hours, according to figures from Thursday morning. The previous record was reached on November 20 with 23,648 reported cases. In the previous week there were 22,046 new cases on Thursday. The death toll rose above the 20,000 mark. The RKI recorded 440 new deaths in one day on Thursday. The day before, a maximum of 590 deaths had been reported.
The number of daily deaths has tended to rise recently, which was 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 20,372. In total, the RKI has counted 1,242,203 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic (as of: 10.12., Midnight). It is estimated that around 922,100 people have recovered.
The seven-day R-value nationwide was 0.99 based on RKI’s status report on Wednesday night (previous day: 1.02). This means that, in theory, 100 infected people infect 99 more people. The value represents the appearance of the infection 8 to 16 days ago. If it is below 1 for a long time, the infection rate decreases.
Söder for “complete lockdown”
Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder has spoken out in favor of a “total lockdown” from Christmas to January 10. “Just shut down everything from stores to company holidays at many companies. If everyone participates, that would be great. Then we would have just under three weeks where we could just cut back on contacts. You won’t find January in the whole year. “said the head of CSU Wednesday night on the ZDF panel discussion Markus Lanz.
Söder was confident that there would be a round between Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the ministers of state before Christmas. Due to the Chancellor’s appointments at the EU summit, this could happen at the earliest on the weekend or early next week.
Schleswig-Holstein also wants a hard lockout after Christmas
Like NRW, the Schleswig-Holstein state government now wants to significantly toughen the wreath measures after Christmas. Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) said on Wednesday that it was necessary “for us to enter a hard lockdown before Christmas at the latest to take advantage of the time during the turn of the year to stop this dangerous development in Germany.”
Earlier, in a speech to the state parliament in Kiel, Schleswig-Holstein had weathered the pandemic comparatively well because the state had taken a particularly strict path. “We want to take these tough measures now,” Günther said. The country will only be able to emerge from the crisis if it continues on its hard path. Günther also announced a ban on serving alcohol in public.
According to the state government, 314 new corona cases were recently reported in Schleswig-Holstein in one day. The highest number was recorded on December 4 with 318 new infections.
North Rhine-Westphalia Prime Minister Armin Laschet is also calling for the crown’s measures to be tightened. At a press conference on Wednesday, he spoke in favor of the closure of public life in Germany as of December 27. Germany is “in a dramatic situation,” he said. Therefore, it is necessary to follow the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina. The academy had called for the closure of business and an extension of the Christmas holidays until January 10.
A lockdown, comparable to the measures taken in March, offers an opportunity to break the current high incidence and start the new year with minuscule numbers, Laschet said. With a view to possible vaccines, there could be a more normal life in 2021 after a successful shutdown.
The timing of the lockdown is good because the damage to education during the Christmas holidays is small and many people can also work from the home office. Now the federal states must agree on a common regulation for the extension of winter holidays. A nationwide solution is needed here, said the Prime Minister of North Rhine-Westphalia.
According to the latest data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of new corona infections in NRW continues to increase slightly. On Wednesday, the so-called seven-day incidence nationwide was 147.5. On Tuesday it was 146.4, on Wednesday of last week it was 137.7. According to RKI statistics, nearly 26,500 people were infected at NRW in 7 days.
Merkel supports the demands of the Leopoldina
Chancellor Angela Merkel called for more crown measures before Christmas and, in an emotional appeal, asked people to listen to the science in the fight against pandemics. In the general debate on the budget in the Bundestag, in view of the current figures, he urged to bring forward the Christmas holidays by three more days until December 16.
Science is practically begging to allow a week of reduced contact before Christmas, before seeing grandma and grandpa, Merkel said. “If we have too many contacts now before Christmas and then it was the last Christmas with grandparents, then we will have missed something. We shouldn’t do that,” Merkel said.
The Chancellor described as correct the recommendations of the National Academy of Sciences, Leopoldina, for the closure of businesses and an extension of the Christmas holidays until January 10 and defended the course of following science in the fight against pandemics. Europe is where it is today because of enlightenment and faith in science. “I decided to study physics at the RDA (…) because I was pretty sure that many things can be canceled, but not gravity, not the speed of light and other facts, and that will still be valid. “
400 million FFP2 masks for risk groups
As of December 15, people over 60 and people with chronic and serious illnesses in Germany should be able to purchase three FFP2 protective masks in pharmacies free of charge. This stems from an ordinance introduced on Wednesday by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn. Therefore, groups particularly at risk should be better protected in the corona pandemic, said the CDU politician.
From January to mid-April, in a second step, a total of 27.5 million people would receive additional counterfeit-proof coupons through their health insurance companies. This would allow them to receive a set of six additional masks twice for a fee of two euros each, Spahn said. The federal government spends a total of 400 million protective masks, which, according to the ordinance, costs the federal government 2.5 billion euros.
Health insurers, which had the data anyway, would send the information to the insured, Spahn said. This would avoid data protection problems. The ordinance stipulates that health insurance companies must only inform the older age groups. Under the ordinance, pharmacies receive six euros per protective mask from the federal government.
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Contact restrictions during the holidays: the status in the countries
Despite the federal state’s decision to partially block the fight against the corona pandemic, the federal states are taking different paths. Regarding contact restrictions, especially during holidays, different rules apply. The actual situation:
Meanwhile, the planned relaxation of the crown’s contact restrictions from December 23, 2020 to January 1, 2021 has been shortened or canceled entirely in individual federal states.
In Baden-Wuerttemberg The restrictions will only be relaxed from December 23-27. In Bayern the relaxation of contact restrictions should only be maintained from December 23 to 26. Even the government in Saxony-Anhalt has announced that there will likely be no relaxation of Corona’s rules on New Years Eve. In Brandenburg there is talk of shortening the flexibility to the period from December 23 to 27.
Measurements are not relaxed at all, not even at Christmas Sedan. Also in Thuringia Crown contact restrictions should not be relaxed during the Christmas holidays and New Year’s Eve in view of the high number of infections. In Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania, Lower saxony, North Rhine-Westphalia, am Saar and in Schleswig-Holstein According to the current status, the easing will be maintained during the holidays, or a decision is still pending.
In Hessen Y Rhineland-Palatinate all measures are initially limited to December 20. In Schleswig-Holstein Up to ten people from two households are allowed to meet in public. Saxony wants to shut down public life as of Monday due to massive corona infections.
The federal and state governments agreed to allow ten people plus children to attend family reunions from December 23 to January 1. The Leopoldina Academy of Sciences also recommends closing stores from Christmas. According to the scientists’ recommendation, from December 24 to January 10 “public life throughout Germany should be largely inactive.”
RKI: German population after the closure is heavier than before
After closing to contain the corona pandemic in spring, people in Germany weighed more than before, according to a study by the Robert Koch Institute. “Body weight and body mass index (BMI) have increased since restraint measures were introduced,” write the authors of the analysis published Wednesday. The containment measures may have had an impact on eating and exercise behavior, he said.
The average body weight between April and August 2019 was 77.1 kilos, in the same period this year it was 78.2 kilos. According to the study, the average BMI increased from 25.9 in April to August 2019 to 26.4 in the comparable period of 2020. BMI is calculated from height and body weight and is an indicator of overweight and obesity .
The results come from a nationwide telephone survey of the population aged 15 and over between April 2019 and September 2020. The approximately 23,000 participants were asked to indicate their height and weight. Other health problems were also examined. “There were no differences in the general population in terms of depressive symptoms or the support received and provided at home,” he said. In general, you cannot see a smooth image. More research is needed.
New high: 590 kills per crown in one day
The number of coronavirus-related deaths reported in 24 hours has skyrocketed to a new record. German health authorities reported 590 new deaths in one day to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), according to RKI figures from Wednesday morning. That’s more than 100 cases more than the previous high of 487 deaths last Wednesday.
A total of 20,815 new coronavirus infections were reported in 24 hours. On Wednesday of the previous week the value was 17,270. The highest daily value so far was on November 20 with 23,648 cases.
The trend in the number of daily deaths had recently increased, which was expected after the sharp increase in new infections. The total number of people who died with or with a proven Sars-CoV-2 infection rose to 19,932 as of Wednesday.
For all of Germany, the RKI also gave a value of 149.1 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. At the beginning of the partial closure in November, there were about 120. The federal and state governments want to make less than 50, so that health authorities can trace the chains of infection again.
