Has the Corona summer wave broken? The Robert Koch Institute has confirmed a decline in the incidence of infection and has also recorded a weakening in the case of serious illnesses. However, there is no all-clear yet.
Because the corona infection process has recently flattened out, the experts at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) see the zenith of the corona summer wave as passed. The nationwide seven-day incidence fell again last week by a total of 27 percent after the significant drop in the previous week and was declining in all federal states and age groups, as can be seen from the RKI weekly report on Covid-19. In addition, the number of Sars-CoV-2 infected people with symptoms of an acute respiratory infection in Germany and the number of doctor visits by infected people fell, “so that the current wave peak seems to have been exceeded”. Nevertheless: From the RKI’s point of view, it is too early to give the all-clear.
In addition, according to the RKI report, outbreaks in nursing homes tended to decrease. The number of hospital admissions of people who had a severe acute respiratory infection and a Covid-19 diagnosis fell in the past week, as did the number of patients with a Covid-19 diagnosis in intensive care units, the experts write. The RKI also recently spoke of a decline in deaths related to the virus – in the past week with 372 deaths reported compared to 444 in the previous week.
The data showed that even in the case of severe illnesses, the current wave appears to have peaked. The RKI experts warn that people over the age of 80 are still most affected by severe illnesses. The decline in serious illnesses is currently progressing much more slowly than is observed in the overall figures.
According to the RKI, despite the improved situation in the past week, the infection pressure remains high in all age groups – and so does the burden on the health system. With a view to the next few weeks, the institute expects a “continued high number of hospitalizations, Covid 19 patients requiring intensive care and deaths, especially in older age groups”. Accordingly, the RKI continues to call for “absolutely” complying with the recommendations for avoiding infection – and once again emphasizes the great importance of the corona vaccination.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach will also look at the current corona situation on Friday, who will again be answering questions from journalists on the podium at the federal press conference. The Berlin doctor Leif Erik Sander should also sit on the podium.
Most recently, the SPD politician Lauterbach had come under pressure to justify his proposals for the corona protection measures for autumn and winter, which he had presented together with Justice Minister Marco Buschmann from the FDP. A return to mask requirements is planned, although there should be exceptions for newly vaccinated people. These planned exceptions were met with some sharp criticism from the federal states.
According to the weekly report, the omicron subline BA.5 has meanwhile increased somewhat at a high level and, according to the latest data, has been found in about 94 percent of the positive samples. According to the RKI, the spread of the omicron subline BA.2.75, about whose mutations some researchers had recently shown concern, is mainly observed in India and various other regions worldwide. A total of five proofs are known in this country.
Schleswig-Holstein’s Prime Minister Daniel Günther has meanwhile called for a significant relaxation of the quarantine rules for people infected with corona. “Currently, infected people have to be isolated for five days, even without symptoms. My suggestion: only those who have symptoms stay at home,” said the CDU politician to the “Bild” newspaper. There is currently no need for “rules that unsettle people, but rather those that protect vulnerable groups.”
