Contents
257 thous. 768 – This is the number of COVID-19 cases reported on the last day of March in Germany. The upward trend has been going on for several days now, bringing about 1,5 million new infections in a week. How is it possible that, despite the restrictions still in force, so many people contract the coronavirus there? The German government keeps asking itself this question. And he wonders if it’s not time for the fourth dose of the vaccine.
- Germany still cannot cope with the coronavirus. For several days, there are more than 250 new infections. daily. The upward trend is also noticeable in the number of deaths, of which there are around 300 each day
- These disturbing statistics are largely to blame for the highly infectious sub-variant of Omikron BA.2, which accounts for 81% of the total. all new COVID-19 cases in Germany
- Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warns against thinking of an end to the pandemic and calls on European leaders to support a plan to develop specific guidelines for giving citizens a fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine
- More information can be found on the Onet homepage
Photo Karl Lauterbach, Germany’s Minister of Health
COVID-19 in Germany in numbers
Another wave of coronavirus infections is passing through Germany. It is difficult to say whether it is still the fifth or the sixth wave, as there has been no significant decline in the number of infections in recent weeks. For over half a year, one wave has been turning into another almost smoothly, leaving little time to breathe.
When we look at the covid statistics in Germany, we see that from around January 10, the daily number of COVID-19 cases has increased rapidly, reaching the next levels very quickly: January 13 – 50 thousand, January 23 – 100 thousand, January 30 – 150 thousand . When it seemed that things could only get worse, the trend changed and the chart dropped slightly. However, the number of infections did not drop below 150. In early March, the bars shot up again. In the middle of the month, there were already 200 cases, and at the end of the month, 300.
The number of deaths is also worrying. It rarely drops below 300 a day since mid-March. The last shameful record was recorded on March 8, when 583 deaths due to COVID-19 were reported. When it comes to hospitalizations, there are around 19 in hospitals due to COVID-2. people.
In total, since the beginning of the pandemic, there have been 21 jobs in Germany. 065 cases of COVID-19, and 130 died from the infection 045 people. In the global ranking, this ranks the country 5th (infections) and 15th (deaths) respectively.
The rest of the text below the video.
What is behind the rise in infections in Germany?
These numbers are surprising because German society can boast a high vaccination rate – 76 percent. According to the data of the government’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI), almost 63,7 million of the first doses were administered, the second was taken by almost 63,1 million people, and the third was taken by 48,8 million. What is behind such disturbing statistics?
According to experts, the “culprit” is subvariant Omikronu BA.2which is responsible for 81 percent. all new illnesses. This is a lot and, in addition, more than a week ago, when BA.2 was detected in 73 percent. samples.
BA.2 is a highly infectious variety of Omicron that was first identified in the Philippines. Globally, BA.2 is now responsible for 86 percent of the cases reported to the World Health Organization in the last month.
- Why did BA.2 dominate the world? Experts point out three phenomena
While we do not yet have much research on the efficacy of COVID-19 immunization against the sub-variant, we may suspect that it is similar or lower than that of Omicron itself.
The researchers’ findings so far show that vaccines are more resistant to this variant than the previous ones, but protection is significantly increased by taking a booster dose. Given that in Germany and in many other countries, the number of people taking the booster is much smaller than that of people with two doses, the number of new omicron infections should come as no surprise.
Do you want to test your immunity to COVID-19 after vaccination? Have you been infected and want to check your antibody levels? See the COVID-19 immunity test package, which you will perform at Diagnostics network points.
Germany wants a fourth dose
In the face of successive increases in the number of infections German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is talking more and more about the fourth dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. Currently, the German vaccination committee recommends a second booster vaccination for people at risk, including those aged 70 and over. However, only 10 percent. people who qualified for the second booster in Germany came to get him.
Lauterbach wants the age limit to be lowered from the top, because there is no hope that the Omikron vaccine will be available on the market earlier than in the fall. “The situation in Europe in terms of a pandemic is worse than people think,” he said, appealing to European leaders to support a fourth dose for people over the age of 60.
- Is it worth waiting for a vaccine dedicated to Omikron?
The German health minister referred to the example of Israel, which has been giving the second booster for some time, incl. seniors. The research there shows that the number of omicron deaths in people over 60 years of age decreased by almost 80%. just because of the next booster dose. Israeli scientists did say last Sunday that a study on people aged 60+ showed that 78% of those who received the fourth dose of BioNTech-Pfizer were observed. lower mortality due to the disease than in patients with one booster.
Karl Lauterbach expects the European Commission to issue clear and specific guidelines for the administration of the fourth dose. Meanwhile, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) remains of the position that there is not yet enough data to support the recommendation of a second booster dose of the COVID-19 vaccine. In early March, the EMA expressed the hope that more data on this topic, which may serve as a guide for further steps, is expected in spring.
We encourage you to listen to the latest episode of the RESET podcast. This time we devote it to emotions. Often times, a particular sight, sound or smell brings to mind a similar situation that we have already experienced. What opportunities does this give us? How does our body react to such an emotion? You will hear about this and many other aspects related to emotions below.
You may be interested in:
- Shanghai fights coronavirus back. It was closed and divided into zones
- How is COVID-19 getting sick now? Your doctor will look for these symptoms
- On March 28, we say goodbye to the masks, but not everywhere. Where do we still have to wear them?
- End of quarantine obligation. Will the person with a positive result be able to go to work?