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What the RKI says about the increase in corona deaths
| Reading time: 3 minutes
The number of people who died after contracting Covid-19 has increased dramatically from one day to the next. But what is behind it? The Robert Koch Institute sees statistical reasons for this.
reThe coronavirus continues to spread in Germany. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 5,132 new infections in Germany on Wednesday, an increase of around 1,000 compared to the previous day. However, the values with the spring are only partially comparable to each other, because now significantly more tests are performed and therefore more infections are discovered.
The sudden increase in the death toll seems alarming. While 13 people died from Covid 19 infection on October 13, there were already 43 on Wednesday. The RKI has tallied 9,677 corona deaths in Germany since the pandemic outbreak.
In absolute numbers, the jump from 13 to 43 deaths is the strongest increase in a day since the end of May. A look at the RKI chart shows: On May 28, 62 more people died from the consequences of a Covid 19 infection than the day before. 62 deaths more than the previous day, a figure that has not been reached since then.
On October 14, the death toll skyrocketed.
Source: WORLD infographic
Only in a few days in July and August did the death toll rise to double digits compared to the previous day. For example, on August 14, 14 more people died from or with a Covid 19 infection than the day before. In the late summer and fall months, a maximum of 19 more people died from the coronavirus than the previous day. Until today, October 14.
How do you explain this sudden increase? The 43 deaths are not due to delays in the registration data of the health authorities or other transmission problems. This was confirmed by a spokeswoman for the Robert Koch Institute at the request of WELT. She has a different explanation: “Most of these cases can be traced back to the increase in the number of infections in recent weeks, that is, to the increase in the number of cases, now also among older people,” the spokeswoman said. Only individual cases were reported, the development of the last few weeks is easy to understand with current figures.
Increase in the death toll
Source: WORLD infographic
Therefore, the fact that more people died from or with Covid-19 than the day before can be explained by the fact that the progression of the severe disease is only reflected in the statistics after a while. The history of illness of the deceased was often very long, notes the RKI.
RKI President expects more difficult courses
According to the RKI, an increase in deaths is likely to continue, compared to the total number of infections. “We assume that Covid-19 cases and the number of severe courses will continue to increase in winter,” said RKI President Lothar Wieler. The RKI further explained: “If more and more older people are re-infected, more serious cases and deaths will occur again.” Serious illnesses and deaths could be prevented primarily by reducing the spread.
For a few weeks, the virus has spread more and more in older age groups. Wieler was optimistic that the elderly and infirm could be better protected in care facilities than in the spring. “The effectiveness of these hygiene concepts in the professional groups working there has improved,” said Wieler. They have a better level of knowledge than in March, both in terms of containment of sources of infection and protection. However, try to keep the number of cases small, Wieler said: “We can still avoid exponential growth.”
Although significantly more patients have been treated in the intensive care units of German clinics for a few days, their number remains comparatively low. This is demonstrated by a look at the intensive DIVI record on Tuesday. According to this, 620 Covid patients were treated in intensive care on October 13, a week earlier there were around 450. In Germany, 9,000 intensive care beds are still free today.
