5:11 a.m .: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Wednesday morning as 281.8. This is evident from numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 5 a.m. The day before, the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 307.2 (previous week: 407.4, previous month: 790.8). However, the incidence does not provide a complete picture of the infection situation.

Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only these count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to a distortion of individual daily values.

The health authorities in Germany recently reported 49,141 new corona infections (previous week: 72,051 registered infections) and 158 deaths (previous week: 174) to the RKI within one day. Here, too, comparisons of the data are only possible to a limited extent due to the test behavior, late registrations or transmission problems. In general, the number of registered new infections and deaths varies significantly from weekday to weekday, as more and more federal states do not transmit to the RKI, especially at weekends, and report their cases later in the week.

The RKI has counted 26,159,106 infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected.

11.06 a.m .: The Standing Vaccination Commission recommends a corona vaccination for all children from five to eleven years who have not yet received a vaccination. This emerges from the new vaccination recommendation from Stiko. So far, such a vaccination was only recommended if there were risk factors, such as previous illnesses.

5:01 a.m .: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Tuesday morning as 307.2. The day before, the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 312.1 (previous week: 437.6, previous month: 807.0).

Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only these count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to a distortion of individual daily values.

The health authorities in Germany recently reported 64,437 new corona infections (previous week: 86,252 registered infections) and 159 deaths (previous week: 215) to the RKI within one day. Here, too, comparisons of the data are only possible to a limited extent due to the test behavior, late registrations or transmission problems.

1:54 a.m .: The German medical profession considers it premature that the federal government has ordered new corona vaccines for 830 million euros. “It only makes sense if these vaccines have already been adapted to the new virus variant, i.e. are more effective than the previous ones. But we don’t yet know exactly what to expect,” said the President of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.

It is also important to clarify whether further vaccinations really bring an advantage. There are conflicting study results for the four vaccinations. “You have to take a close look at that and only then decide whether a vaccine procurement of the magnitude mentioned is necessary,” said Reinhardt before the start of the German Doctors’ Day, which takes place from Tuesday to Thursday in Bremen.

The medical president criticized that the traffic light’s corona policy was no better than that of the previous government: “Within the coalition there are very different ideas about how to deal with corona, which leads to a lurching course and confusion.”

Tuesday, May 24, 12:30 a.m .: According to the German Teachers’ Association, preparations for the lessons in autumn should already be made in view of the corona pandemic. “Politicians are not doing their homework on the topic of pandemics and schools,” said association president Heinz-Peter Meidinger to the editorial network Germany. The course must be set now. He called for everything to be done to ensure that the schools are not closed again in the fall. “At the same time, schools must now be equipped and prepared in such a way that distance learning works in any case,” Meidinger told RND.

He complained that the federal states lacked a legal basis for compulsory masks in schools. In his opinion, masks could be “a decisive factor” in a possible autumn corona wave in order to keep schools open. “The federal government must therefore quickly adapt the Infection Protection Act again,” Meidinger demanded.

5:13 p.m .: One year after the first tangible indications of large-scale fraud in rapid corona tests, the federal and state governments have still not managed to ensure consistent controls of the many thousands of private test centers.

According to information from the Süddeutsche Zeitung, NDR and WDR, the investigative authorities now suspect that the damage to the state, mainly due to the billing of invented tests, amounts to more than one billion euros. The commercial operators of the rapid test stations have now claimed more than ten billion euros. The money comes from the federal treasury, i.e. it comes from the tax revenue of the citizens.

According to Jörg Engelhard, head of an investigative commissariat at the State Criminal Police Office (LKA) in Berlin, around 380 investigations are now pending in the capital alone. If you extrapolate that nationwide and also take into account a high number of unreported cases, i.e. cases that have not yet been discovered, then you have to assume a “frightening number” of not less than one billion up to one and a half billion euros. In Bochum, the first major lawsuit against an operator of many test sites is underway. The public prosecutor’s office expects damage of 25 million euros.

Friday, May 20th, 2022, 8:17 a.m .: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Friday morning as 361.8. However, the incidence does not provide a complete picture of the infection situation. Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done.

The health authorities in Germany recently reported 48,910 new corona infections (previous week: 97,010 registered infections) and 151 deaths (previous week: 231) to the RKI within one day.

7.23 p.m .: More than 1.5 million nurses receive a bonus of up to 2500 euros for their work during the corona pandemic. On Thursday evening, the Bundestag passed a corresponding law with a large majority, with which one billion euros will be made available for the project – half each for the clinic area and half for geriatric care.

“The fact that Germany has been able to cope with the pandemic so far is largely due to the tireless commitment of the nursing staff,” explained Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD). At the same time, he conceded that, regardless of the bonus, better working conditions and higher pay were needed Law also decided that care facilities without their own collective agreement must be based on the average wages in the region when paying from September.

With the care bonus, 500 million euros flow to more than 800 hospitals, where a particularly large number of people had to be ventilated because of Corona. The clinics are to distribute the money to the employees in stages, with the maximum rate going to specialist nurses in intensive care units. There is a further 500 million euros for geriatric nurses who worked in a home for at least three months between November 2020 and the end of June 2022. You should receive a one-time bonus of up to 550 euros.

Thursday, May 19, 7:03 a.m .: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Thursday morning as 383.2. This is evident from numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 5 a.m. The day before, the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 407.4 (previous week: 502.4; previous month: 669.9).

However, the incidence does not provide a complete picture of the infection situation. Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only these count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to a distortion of individual daily values.

The health authorities in Germany recently reported 58,719 new corona infections (previous week: 88,961 registered infections) and 165 deaths (previous week: 197) to the RKI within one day. Here, too, comparisons of the data are only possible to a limited extent due to the test behavior, late registrations or transmission problems. In general, the number of registered new infections and deaths varies significantly from weekday to weekday, as more and more federal states do not transmit to the RKI, especially at weekends, and report their cases later in the week.

The RKI has counted 25,949,175 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected.

The essentials in brief:

The entire press conference to read verbatim.

2:36 p.m .: The press conference is over.

2.35 p.m .: “We assume that the facility-related vaccination requirement is legal,” Lauterbach answered a journalist’s request. “We introduced them.” So there are no further questions.

2:31 p.m .: “The vaccines are currently anticipated as single doses,” says Lauterbach. The reason: Most of them have usually either had a vaccination or an infection. When asked, he also explains: “All vaccines are procured in Europe.”

2.30 p.m .: From autumn there will be three different vaccines: against the Wuhan variant, the adapted omicron variant and a bivalent vaccine (against both). According to Lauterbach, which one is then used can either be decided individually or depending on which variant prevails.

2:29 p.m .: Is there an adjustment to the Infection Protection Act? He welcomes that, says Lauterbach. But first I want to discuss the details internally.

2:27 p.m .: Demand for vaccine, which may now expire. “The vaccine that expires was not ordered in our legislative period,” says Lauterbach. At the same time, however, he explains the decisions of his predecessor Jens Spahn (CDU): “That was correct at the time.” And: It was “founded in the matter. If there are new variants, a new vaccine is needed and the old one expires.”

2:26 p.m .: Journalists present can ask questions.

2:24 p.m .: “The financial situation of the WHO is not optimal, but could be significantly improved,” says Lauterbach when asked by a journalist. As Germany you have “participated heavily”.

2:20 p.m .: The G7 health ministers will advise on Thursday and Friday. Topics according to Lauterbach: global, stronger and better coordinated pandemic monitoring and control (“Pact for Pandemic Readyness). “Due to climate change and rising temperatures, pandemics and other diseases will occur more frequently,” warns Lauterbach. This is also being discussed. Third point: “Prevention of antibiotic residence.”

Older reports on Corona can be found on the following pages.

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