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What about the capacity of the beds and the test options in Germany? Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) presented the current situation at the federal press conference. The vice president of the Robert Koch Institute, Lars Schaade, and medical representatives discussed with him the medical situation in Germany.
The pandemic is “a daunting task,” says Spahn. The climax has not yet been reached. “This is a common effort.” Partial locking was necessary: Spahn talks about pulling the “emergency brake”.
“Up to this point, our healthcare system has never been overwhelmed, yet there is nothing to overlook,” Spahn emphasizes. The number of new infections has risen exponentially and the concerns of doctors warning of overload are taken seriously. “We will support hospitals where we can.” Discussions are ongoing with the federal states on how the capabilities can be used in the best possible way.
Prime Minister Woidke is corona positive – Scheuer is in quarantine
Brandenburg Prime Minister Dietmar Woidke (SPD) tested positive for the corona virus. Government spokesman Florian Engels announced this on Tuesday, according to the dpa news agency. The 59-year-old did not attend any work appointments on Sunday after the first symptoms of the cold. Now the contact persons would be identified, he told himself.
Due to Woidke’s findings, Federal Transportation Minister Andreas Scheuer (CSU) is now in quarantine as well. A rapid test on Scheuer came back negative, but she went into quarantine after consulting doctors, a spokeswoman said. Woidke participated in the opening of the BER airport in Schönefeld on Saturday. Scheuer, airport director Engelbert Lütke Daldrup, Berlin’s governing mayor Michael Müller (SPD), and Lufthansa chief Carsten Spohr were invited. They stood on a podium with Woidke.
Corona test labs: nationwide capacity maximized for the first time
Corona test labs in Germany have warned against overload when evaluating tests. The Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine announced Tuesday that capacity was 100 percent nationwide for the first time. Meanwhile, “the red light has been run over.” This evaluation is based on data from 162 laboratories.
Testing capabilities need to be concentrated much more on particularly urgent cases so that the supply does not collapse. The head of the association, Michael Müller, spoke of dangerous conditions and that they are no longer acceptable. “If the overload continues, it will be difficult to remain efficient.”
The association criticized the continued use of too many CRP tests without symptoms. In the last week a total of 1.4 million PCR tests were carried out, according to data from the 162 registered laboratories. The proportion of positive tests increased to 7.3 percent from 5.7 percent the previous week, corresponding to 104,663 positive tests. The backlog of samples that came from the previous week and had no finds on Monday morning increased to 98,310. If the time to result is longer, it also increases the risk that infected people remain without findings for too long and cannot react quickly to larger outbreaks, the association warned.
RKI Reports 15,352 New Infections Tuesday
Local authorities in Germany reported 15,352 new corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in one day. As of Tuesday a week ago, the figure was 11,409. With 19,059 new infections, a new record was reached on Saturday since the start of the corona pandemic in Germany.
A total of 560,379 people in Germany have been shown to have been infected with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the Corona crisis. The number of deaths related to the virus rose by 131 to a total of 10,661 by Tuesday. The RKI estimates that around 371,500 people have recovered.
The number of views, or R-value for short, was 1.07 in Germany according to RKI’s management report on Monday (previous day: 1.13). This means that ten infected people infect almost eleven more people. The R value represents the infection rate approximately one and a half weeks earlier. In addition, the RKI includes the so-called seven-day R in its management report. The value refers to a longer period of time and is therefore less subject to daily fluctuations. According to RKI estimates, the seven-day R on Monday was 1.04 (previous day: 1.13). It shows the infection process for eight to 16 days.
Scholz on Corona’s help: “Everyone is thought of”
Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz (SPD) has confirmed that Corona’s assistance in connection with the November partial shutdown should benefit as many affected people as possible. “Everyone is already being thought of,” he said in ZDF’s “morning magazine” on Tuesday. He referred to flexible regulations, for example, for the self-employed with fluctuating income. They should also be able to use their average annual turnover as a base. People who started their business later should also be able to set a reference month of the current year instead of November 2019.
It did not specify when the help will be available. “We are trying to get all the clarifications this week.” Next, the programs would have to be developed in order to request assistance through an Internet platform. The federal government wants to help companies that have to close in November due to crown restrictions or have high failures. In general, it is a financial aid of up to ten billion euros, for one month.
Merkel: “That could be a breakwater”
On the first day of the partial shutdown, the Corona cabinet met in Berlin. Chancellor Angela Merkel provided information on the current situation and measures at a press conference. The pandemic is “a very special and very challenging event” that occurs “only once a century,” the Chancellor said. He warned of an “acute emergency” in hospitals.
Across Germany, recently there were an average of 127.8 infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days. Many health authorities would no longer manage contact tracking. “We must not allow the rapid spread of the virus to increasingly overwhelm our health authorities,” says Merkel. “Otherwise, exponential growth will continue.” The main objective of the current measures is to significantly reduce the incidence values to guarantee the follow-up of contacts again: “We have to return to a region of 50 infections in seven days per 100,000 inhabitants.” That means “four weeks without many things that make life beautiful.”
If society adheres to the massive cuts next month, politicians – and also the experts they have asked for advice – are sure this could be “a breakwater” in this second wave, the chancellor said. It is not about this or that concept of hygiene, but the fact that society as a whole should reduce its contacts by 75 percent, this is what the scientists recommend.
The economy and finance ministers would quickly and without bureaucracy provide up to ten billion for the affected companies that are now affected by the partial closure. “No one will be left alone with their failure,” Merkel promised. When asked about auto dealerships closing in the spring, he added: “At the time we didn’t overlook the fact that when a car dealership closed, sales to the auto industry were completely gone.” As a result, “huge economic effects” had to be accepted.
As long as no vaccines or “potent drugs” have been found against the pandemic, Germany will have to live with the pandemic. The federal government waits another four months. At Christmas, which expires in less than two months, the Chancellor said: “It will be a Christmas in Corona conditions, but it will not be a lonely Christmas.”
Corona-Warnapp has now been downloaded 21.5 million times, the chancellor said. 2.75 million references to positive test results have already been transmitted through the app. Around 38,000 users submitted their positive lab results on the app. “Unfortunately, so far, we are only with 60 percent of those who tested positive, who also pass on their contacts, there is still a big task,” Merkel said. You want to encourage people to inform contact persons.
4350 Proceedings for Suspected Fraud with Corona Emergency Assistance at NRW
Alleged fraud cases with Corona’s emergency aid number about 4,350 according to the NRW state government. 4,940 suspects are being investigated, the Home Office announced at the request of non-deputy state parliament members Marcus Pretzell and Alexander Langguth. .
This is the suspicion that amounts of aid have been requested and collected, although the requirements for this have not been met.
Fraud using fake websites to request NRW emergency help turned out to be much less than initially assumed: a large portion of the 1,144 suspected cases turned out to be unfounded. In only 18 cases, the data was actually tapped and immediate help was delivered through the wrong channels. This resulted in damages of around 300,000 euros, which is 0.007 percent of the total payment volume.
Corona emergency aid: companies pay back
Resistance to new corona measures
The first urgent requests against the new partial blockade have barely entered into force in several federal states.
The strongest legal resistance to date is in Berlin, where the administrative court had received 32 urgent motions against the new measures on Monday afternoon. Most of these come from restaurateurs, a court spokesman said. However, the plaintiffs also included a gym and a concert promoter.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, among other things, a massage service and a cosmetic studio together with 27 tattoo studios have submitted urgent applications to the Higher Administrative Court of Münster. According to the court, the tattooists and beauticians, as well as the massage service, point to unequal treatment, since hairdressers, for example, can continue working.
Also in Brandenburg, the first companies are legally violating the restrictions that went into effect today. The Higher Administrative Court of Berlin-Brandenburg confirmed the receipt of two urgent requests on Monday afternoon.
To contain the crown pandemic, the prime ministers of the federal states agreed with Chancellor Angela Merkel last week to partially shut down public life for four weeks starting Monday, November 2. Restaurants, theaters, operas, museums, concert halls, gyms, beauty salons, and sports and leisure facilities must close.
