The obligation to isolate has already been lifted in some federal states, and the obligation to wear a mask is being relaxed more and more. The RKI is adjusting its risk assessment for coronavirus in line with the more relaxed infection process.
Fewer infections, milder courses and broad population immunity: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has downgraded the corona risk from high to moderate. “The current risk of Covid-19 for the health of the population in Germany is assessed as moderate overall,” says the RKI’s Corona Weekly Report. It had previously spoken of a high risk for a long time. However, the RKI writes on its risk assessment website that it will be upgraded again if the situation worsens.
The RKI justifies the step in terms of transmission, severity of the disease and the strain on resources in the healthcare system due to Covid-19. With the omicron variant, the disease is less severe, and there is also broad immunity among the population.
The RKI continues to advise following recommendations to protect against infection: For example, you should stay at home if you are sick, wear a mask indoors and air out frequently. The background is also other respiratory pathogens, which are expected to become more widespread in the coming weeks. According to the RKI, older people with previous illnesses or a lack of immune protection have the greatest risk of severe courses.
Younger people could continue to develop long-term effects. This means that avoiding a corona infection “basically makes sense,” it said. Regarding the development of the corona cases confirmed in the laboratory and reported to the RKI, the RKI reports a slight increase at a low level for the past week. The nationwide 7-day incidence increased by 16 percent compared to the week before, according to the weekly report. The longer-lasting decline in the number of people treated in hospital with severe acute respiratory infections and a Covid 19 diagnosis has weakened somewhat. According to the report, the number of Covid 19 intensive care patients continued to fall significantly.
The RKI further reports that several virus variants show increasing proportions in random tests. The mixed variant XBB.1.5, which is dominant in the USA, for example, comes to six percent in this country according to the latest data from the week before last. The RKI also assumes a further increase for certain sublines of BA.2.75.
According to a report, a mixed form of omicron and delta variant called XAY was recently put under surveillance by the European disease control agency ECDC. So far, it has rarely been detected in Germany and is only spreading slowly, it said. There have been a total of 36 XAY records since the second week of November. It is not the first time that a mixed variant of omicron and delta has been discovered.
