Corona: the events of 24. To 30. January 2022

Information on developments and figures on the coronavirus in Bavaria, Germany and the world from 24. to 30. January 2022. All info in the ticker.

Sunday, 30. January 2022

21:50: Peaceful demonstration against Corona measures in Schweinfurt

Peaceful and unproblematic, according to police reports on Sunday evening (30.01.22) A demonstration against Corona measures passed in Schweinfurt, Germany. Although the task forces had repeatedly reminded the observance of the distance rules, it did not come to further measures, said the police on BR inquiry. Had come between 2.300 to 2.500 people. The moving assembly was duly registered.

20.50 o’clock: Expert council demands better information for the population

The German government’s Council of Experts suggests building a "sustainable infrastructure" as a lesson from the pandemic before to inform the population "evidence-based, quickly and effectively.". A lack of consistency of available information, its assessments and the resulting recommendations contributes to the "uncertainty of the population, provides a target for mis- and disinformation, undermines confidence in government action and jeopardizes the success of important measures to protect health", are reported in a statement.

19.50 clock: Number of new infections in France slips below 250.000

France reports 249.448 new infections the sixth decline in a row. On Saturday, 332.398 new cases recorded, up from more than 501 on Tuesday.000.

19.42 Clock: Lockdown for unvaccinated ends in Austria

In Austria, the Corona lockdown for the unvaccinated ends on Monday. Since mid-November, all residents over twelve years of age without proof of vaccination or convalescence were only allowed to leave their homes for grocery shopping, work or education, doctor’s visits, and physical recreation. Chancellor Karl Nehammer had justified the end of the exit restrictions by saying that hospitals are not overloaded despite persistently high infection rates.

On Saturday, Nehammer also announced further relaxations. Restaurants may stay open until midnight again as of next Saturday. Thereafter, the proof of vaccination or recovery in trade, gastronomy and tourism will be eliminated in stages. However, at least negative corona tests are required for restaurant or hotel visits. Austria will also introduce compulsory vaccination for adults next Friday.

18.25 p.m.: Soder thinks easing possible after mid-February

Bavaria’s Minister-President Markus Soder believes a relaxation is possible soon. The next round of federal/state votes in mid-February should still be waited for, says CSU leader on ARD television. "I think we just have to go step by step." If there was no overloading of hospitals, freedoms would have to be returned to the citizens. "Omicron is different from Delta", Soder said, referring to the current and previously dominant Corona variant. Therefore, despite the high number of infections, other measures are now necessary. More spectators could be possible at sporting and cultural events, for example, and there are also more opportunities for catering and trade fairs.

17.8 p.m.: Dobrindt (CSU): New proposal for mandatory vaccination

CSU state group leader Alexander Dobrindt presents a new proposal for general compulsory vaccination. "We are working on proposing a vaccination prevention law in the Bundestag", he told the Munchner Merkur on Monday. "Yes, compulsory vaccination can be an additional measure, but it must be adapted to the situation." The CDU/CSU parliamentary group would like to see a "differentiated law" for this purpose. "That is: adapted to the risk or just the dangerousness of an infection development, combined with expected burdens on the health system, adapted to vulnerable groups or age groups and narrowly limited in time." Compulsory vaccination should not apply immediately, but should only be able to be activated with a strictly regulated mechanism, Dobrindt made clear. "It’s all about prevention. The condition here is that a decision to put this vaccination obligation into force must then be explicitly taken by the Bundestag and Bundesrat. And it must be accompanied by close scientific consultation. And by that I don’t mean a shuffle of vaccination committee or individual ethics councils."

According to Dobrindt, the CDU/CSU does not want to give the federal government "any kind Leave it to the government to decide whether to activate mandatory vaccination. "A traffic light government that finds itself unable to present a vaccination law itself must also not be tasked with independently making the balancing decision to apply such a law", he told the Merkur. "I do not want to see repeated such a not sufficiently justified wrong decision of the government, as with the lowering of the convalescent status by Minister Lauterbach."

17.02 o’clock: More than 120.000 new infections in Russia

In Russia, more than 120.000 new Corona cases have been counted in one day, more than ever before. On Sunday, the state Corona task force reported 121.288 new infections. Thus it was about 8.000 more than the day before. In the past 24 hours, there have also been 668 deaths linked to the virus, it said. According to the working group, this brought the number of deaths related to Covid-19 to more than 330.700. However, Rosstat, the statistics agency, also takes into account deaths in which the virus was not the main cause, arriving at the much higher figure of more than 625.000 deaths between April 2020 and October 2021.

At the beginning of January in Russia were still about 15.000 Corona cases per day had been registered, but infection numbers have since gone through the roof. The occurrence is attributed to the highly contagious Omikron variant. The vaccination rate is also stubbornly low, with about half of the country’s nearly 146 million population fully vaccinated, despite the fact that Russia approved a domestically produced vaccine, Sputnik V, months before most other countries did so.

16.41 a.m.: India: 75 percent of adults vaccinated twice

In India, three out of four adults have now received a second vaccination. Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on Twitter, adding, "I congratulate our fellow citizens on this significant achievement." Most people in the country of 1.3 billion people get the drug called Covishield, manufactured by AstraZeneca.

15.9 p.m.: Criticism of anti-vaccination demonstration at Nazi Party Rally Grounds in Nuremberg on Hitler anniversary

Several thousand people demonstrated in Nuremberg on Sunday against Corona restrictions and, in particular, a possible vaccination requirement. However, there were significantly fewer participants than expected. Incidents were not reported by Bavarian police. The event in Nuremberg was sharply criticized in front of many people. Because the demo took place at the Volksfestplatz in the immediate vicinity of the Reichsparteitagsgelande. Sunday was also the anniversary of Adolf Hitler’s seizure of power in 1933. On 30. January 1933 Hitler was appointed Reich Chancellor by Reich President Paul von Hindenburg. On Twitter, many users therefore criticized the place and the timing. The actor Marcus Mittermeier, for example, wrote on Twitter at noon on Sunday: "Lateral thinking has arrived where they want to go: today demo at the Reichsparteitagsgelande. On the anniversary of the seizure of power." In Nuremberg, the police had expected a five-digit number of demonstrators, in the end a police spokesman spoke of 3.500 to 4.000 participants and attendees.

In Munich, 10,000 people were also.000 people were also announced on the Theresienwiese. Police there then called about 1.000 participants.

• To the article: Corona protests in Bavaria: fewer participants than expected

15.10 a.m.: 146 German Olympic participants entered without a Corona case

The first major German Olympic delegation has been spared any cases of Corona during entry checks ahead of the Winter Games in Beijing All tests on the 146 German athletes and officials who arrived in China’s capital were negative, a spokeswoman for the German Olympic Sports Confederation said. A few days earlier, an attendant of the German advance team in the Olympic mountain region was found to be infected with the coronavirus. He went to a quarantine hotel, according to the rulebook. The next larger DOSB groups will travel to Beijing on Monday and Tuesday.

14.3 p.m.: Munich police break up party with 150 people

In a bar in Munich, 150 people celebrated without masks and distance. Several police patrols broke up the celebration in the Schwabing district early Saturday evening, according to police on Sunday. After the initial investigation, police believe that bar employees did not fully check patrons’ Corona vaccination records. Police are investigating a 36-year-old man and a 40-year-old man for violations of the Infection Control Act. No charges were initially filed against the guests.

• To the Corona ticker Upper Bavaria

14.01 a.m.: Lawsuit over fan restriction: RB Leipzig fights back, VfB Stuttgart still undecided

VfB Stuttgart reserves the right to take legal action against Corona restrictions on spectators. The decision is open, a spokesman for the National Football League said. Previously, the "Bild am Sonntag" reports that VfB is considering going to court, but does not want to do it alone. Vice-champion RB Leipzig, on the other hand, is the first Bundesliga club to defend itself against the Corona restrictions on the admission of fans. As the club announced on Saturday, an application for "issuance of a temporary injunction" was filed with the Saxon Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen in summary proceedings.

13.37 o’clock: CDU politician Lewe: "Unclear for whom vaccination is compulsory"

On 16. March, a Corona vaccination requirement for employees in hospitals and nursing homes is scheduled to take effect. Health departments are responsible for implementing the regulation. However, the president of the German Association of Cities, Markus Lewe, sees numerous open questions. "We do not know, for example, for whom exactly the vaccination obligation applies", said the CDU politician to the "Rheinische Post". "We call on the federal and state governments to immediately create legal clarity."

• To the article: Facility-based mandatory vaccination: many questions unanswered

13.1 p.m.: Finance Minister Lindner: "Easing must be a topic in February"

Federal Finance Minister Christian Lindner is considering Corona loosening. "We don’t have the omicron wave behind us yet, but we already need to work concretely on when and under what conditions incremental openings can occur", says the FDP leader to the "Spiegel". The next federal/state roundtable in February should address this. In trade, there could be quick changes; in other areas, more lead time is needed. "I’m thinking of trade fairs, the event industry, the cultural sector, which need this lead time. My point is to create an expectation perspective under what conditions and in what steps what is possible."

• To the article: Call for "exit strategy" in Corona pandemic is getting louder

12.25 a.m.: Dachau and Starnberg counties in the top group for new infections

New corona infections continue to shoot through the roof in Upper Bavaria: ranked fourth nationwide, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the districts of Dachau and Starnberg now have an identical 7-day incidence of 2.544,5. The city of Rosenheim is the third municipality in Upper Bavaria to show – now just – an incidence of over 2.000, Ingolstadt and the district of Muhldorf are close to it.

Only the district of Eichstatt has an incidence below 1 with 708.9.000. The state capital of Munich is currently at just under 1.700. Here, the number of hospital admissions due to Corona also rises significantly again. "Fewer people need intensive care, yet they still come to the hospital with high fevers" Professor Franz-Xaver Reichl, commissioner for the biological safety of bacteria and viruses at the Ludwig-Maximilians-Universitat in Munich, told the Munchner Merkur newspaper. The number of hospital admissions for Corona is now seen by many experts as the most important indicator of the pandemic.

12.07 o’clock: Positive tests with Austrian ski jumpers

After a positive Corona test, the Austrian women ski jumpers left the World Cup in Willingen early. This was confirmed by the organizer on Sunday morning. According to the report, an Austrian athlete tested positive for the virus on Saturday. World Cup leader Marita Kramer, who has won six of ten jumps this season, including the first on Saturday in Willingen, is also affected. The extent to which the incident will affect the oSV’s Olympic plans is still unclear.

11.32 o’clock: Austria’s tourism: Low bookings

At the beginning of the winter peak season, Austrian tourism is struggling with restrictions and low bookings despite some announced relaxations. In February, when schools in Germany and other European countries are on winter vacation, hotels in the Alpine country are usually at 80 percent capacity. But reservations for this year’s high season are currently only at just under 50 percent, Martin Stanits of the Austrian Hoteliers Association (oHV) told news agency dpa. A glimmer of hope was brought on Saturday by the government’s announcement that, according to forecasts, the omicron wave will pass its peak in the coming days. Because of the expected decline and because of the relatively low bed occupancy in hospitals, the conservative-green coalition government wants to gradually lift restrictions in the coming weeks.

10.24 Clock: Employers can refuse unvaccinated when vaccination is compulsory

Detlef Scheele, chairman of the German Federal Labor Agency, says the introduction of a general vaccination requirement will lead to changes in the job search process. "If there is a general vaccination requirement and violations also carry legal consequences, employers can reject an applicant because he or she is not vaccinated or recovered", Scheele told the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe in Essen, Germany. The federal agency must also check if a general vaccination requirement is introduced, "whether a lack of vaccination leads to a blocking period" lead.

In the case of a general vaccination requirement, employers were given the right to check the 2G status in the workplace. "This possibility does not currently exist." Scheele does not expect any noticeable consequences for the labor market from the facility-based vaccination requirement, which will take effect in mid-March, for example for employees in health and care professions. If employees from these facilities did not get vaccinated and then had to leave their jobs simply because of the vaccination requirement, they would still be available to the labor market.

09.57: 30 members of the Iranian parliament infected

In Iran, 30 members of parliament have been infected with the Omikron variant of the coronavirus. They are now in quarantine, as MP Abolfasl Abutorabi announced on Sunday. Parliament now wants to conduct Corona tests on all 290 MPs to prevent further infections, Abutorabi said, according to Fars news agency. Parliament has been criticized several times in recent months because many MPs did not comply with the Corona regulations.

Iran was particularly hard hit by the Corona pandemic until the middle of last year, but the situation eased after an acceleration of the vaccination campaign. To date, more than 60 percent of the nearly 84 million Iranians have been dually vaccinated, with more than 16 million booster shots already administered. However, in light of the Omikron wave and constantly rising infection numbers, the government is planning a renewed lockdown. Because of the acute economic crisis, this was supposed to be avoided. Since the outbreak of the pandemic in February 2020, more than 132 people in the country have been.000 corona deaths and more than 6.3 million infected registered. Millions of Iranians suffer financial consequences of pandemic.

08.34 a.m.: Corona reaches last uncontaminated spots on Earth

After two years of pandemic, even the most remote places in the world are now no longer safe from the virus. The island nation of Kiribati is experiencing its first infections, Tonga and Samoa are still fighting off initial outbreaks. At the start of the Corona pandemic, Kiribati closed its borders, allowing the remote Pacific archipelago to keep the virus out for nearly two years.

But after Kiribati began opening up this month and allowed the return of 54 citizens from abroad, Corona has also arrived on the island. More than half of those arriving tested positive for the virus, which is now spreading through the population. The original 36 cases of those who arrived had become 181 in the population by Friday. The government declared a state of emergency.

• For data analysis: Here’s how the Corona numbers are developing in Germany

07.10 a.m.: 34 more Corona cases before Olympic Games

Five days before the start of the Beijing Winter Olympics, organizers have detected 34 new cases of corona. The organizing committee said Sunday that 23 entrants had already tested positive for the coronavirus on Saturday, including 13 athletes or team members. The total number of cases is 139.

A strict corona security concept is in place for the Beijing Winter Olympics. Everyone involved – from athletes to journalists – are completely separated from the rest of the Chinese population. To detect infections as quickly as possible, each participant within the "Olympic bubble" must to take a PCR test every day. Those who contracted the virus are isolated in a specially designated hotel. Only after two negative PCR tests at least 24 hours apart can those affected leave before ten days have elapsed. After this deadline, only one negative PCR test is required.

06.06 a.m.: RKI: 118.970 Corona new infections

Health authorities in Germany have reported 118 cases to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).970 new Corona infections reported within one day. This brings the seven-day incidence on Sunday morning to 1156.8. The previous day, the figure had been 1127.7, before a

Germany-wide, 59 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, five more than a week ago. The number of Corona-infected patients arriving in hospitals per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days, the RKI gave on Friday with 4.72.

Saturday, 29. January 2022

20.4 p.m.: Demos against Corona policy again – Around 4.500 people in Freiburg

In several cities in Germany, people demonstrated again today against the Corona policy. In Freiburg (Baden-Wurttemberg) alone, according to police estimates, about 4.500 people at a demonstration to protest mandatory vaccination and pandemic containment measures.

Protests against the Corona policy had also been called in Zwonitz in the Erz Mountains, according to police. The event, with as many as 1.250 people had not been registered. The identities of ten people who were hooded at the gathering have been established, police said. Proceedings had been initiated against them for violation of the law on assemblies. In addition, according to police, proceedings are underway for holding an undeclared assembly.

18.58 o’clock: Dozens of Corona opponents storm hospital grounds during protest march in Leipzig

Dozens of opponents of the Corona measures are in Leipzig during one of their as "walks" declared protest marches stormed onto the grounds of the university hospital. According to a police spokeswoman, the protest had been attended by "several hundred" people People on Saturday afternoon near the Volkerschlachtdenkmal started and was then stopped near the clinic for psychiatry by police. Dozens then stormed onto the grounds of the psychiatric clinic belonging to the UKL – presumably in the hope of escaping the police encirclement. Videos posted on Twitter showed some police officers at the gate to the site still trying in vain to hold back the crowd. But they were apparently unable to cope with the onslaught. According to the police spokeswoman, the police established the identity of the intruders for possible criminal investigations. The remaining "walkers had been allowed to leave after an identity check was carried out.

18.07 o’clock: More than 72.000 new infections in Great Britain

The number of new infections in the UK is down week-on-week. The authorities currently report 72.727 new infections and 296 more deaths. In the past seven days, a total of 3.6 percent fewer new cases were recorded than in the previous week, the statement added. The number of deaths had fallen by 3.2 percent in that period, he said.

16.10 a.m.: BBL game in Giessen cancelled at short notice

The Basketball Bundesliga (BBL) game between the Giessen 46ers and the Lowen Braunschweig scheduled for Saturday evening has been cancelled due to several corona cases at the hosts. Giessen announced this about five hours before the scheduled kickoff at 20.30 o’clock with. A total of seven people in Central Hesse tested positive for the drug. A make-up date for the match is still open. The persons concerned are "well under the circumstances". Also the game on the next match day at the Syntainics MBS from Weibenfels will not take place. Like Giessen, Mitteldeutscher BC currently has no eight regular players at its disposal.

14.54 clock: RB Leipzig: Urgent proceedings against Corona restriction

Runner-up RB Leipzig is the first Bundesliga club to defend itself against the Corona restrictions on the admission of spectators. As the club announced on Saturday, an application for "issuance of a temporary injunction" was filed with the Saxon Higher Administrative Court in Bautzen in the summary proceedings put. In contrast to the situation in other German states, where significantly more fans are again being allowed into stadiums, Saxony currently still has an upper limit of no more than 1.000 people.

"RB Leipzig hopes that in this way a decision can be reached in the short term that is factually fair, justified and comprehensible for all sides, and at the same time a solution can be found with regard to the current extreme spectator restriction at home games," can be obtained, it says in the brief statement. RB plays next Saturday, however, first at FC Bayern – the next home game is scheduled for 11. February against the 1. FC Cologne to.

RB boss Oliver Mintzlaff had announced the move in a "picture"-Interview announced. Federation and countries had decided in the past Corona conference on Monday that because of the Omikron variant is waited with opening steps for large events – until 9. February, uniform rules should be agreed upon. Subsequently, however, in Bavaria was already the admission of up to 10.000 people (a maximum of 25 percent of the total capacity) could be allowed.

14.09 o’clock: Number of the lonely old ones doubled itself

The number of lonely over-80s doubled during the Corona pandemic, according to a new survey. This is the result of a study published by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs. However: scarcely 88 per cent of the high age ones indicated not to be lonely.

Loneliness increases late in life, survey finds: 22 percent of people over age 90, but only 8.7 percent of people age 80 to 84 describe themselves as lonely. Women are affected more than twice as often as men. The proportion of lonely people in homes is 35 percent, while in private households it is 9.5 percent.

Other age groups are also affected: Young adults feel somewhat lonelier today than they did 40 years ago, according to a study published in December by the University of Bochum. Corona has reinforced this: "Some students are now in the third semester, but have never entered a university", says the head of Bremen’s telephone counselling service, Protestant theologian Peter Brockmann. Young people’s social lives were significantly reduced during the pandemic, it said.

13.11 a.m.: Ethics Council chairwoman: Vaccination should be as simple as possible

According to the chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, the preparation of a mandatory vaccination against the coronavirus should be flanked by other measures. This included "low-threshold vaccination offers and target-group-specific counseling and information", said the Munich medical ethicist Alena Buyx to the Bremen newspaper "Weser-Kurier".

She also referred to the opinions of the Ethics Council, an independent panel of experts. "We said very clearly: preparing for mandatory vaccination in no way absolves those responsible from continuing to strive for voluntariness and making it really easy for people", said Buyx.

12.25 a.m.: New Zealand prime minister isolates herself after Corona contact

New Zealand Prime Minister Jacinda Ardern isolated herself on Saturday night (local time) after close contact with a corona-infected person. "The prime minister is asymptomatic and "feeling well", informed her office. On the advice of the Ministry of Health, she will be tested tomorrow and will remain in isolation until Tuesday.

11.52 o’clock: Austria loosens gradual Corona measures

Austria is gradually relaxing its Corona measures despite high numbers of new infections. Thus the curfew from 5. February from 22.00 a.m. to 24.00 clock pushed, said Chancellor Karl Nehammer (oVP) on Saturday in Vienna. Of the 12. February on fell the 2G rule in the trade. However, the obligation to wear a FFP2 mask would remain. From 19. February applies in the catering trade and in the tourism instead of the 2G-rule again the 3G-rule, it was said. Thus, it is possible to visit pubs even with a negative Corona test. Accordingly, the basis for the decisions is the foreseeable further low load on the clinics.

11.39 Watch: Fewer people are getting vaccinated

The number of vaccinations in Germany decreased at the end of the week. According to data released by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Saturday, at least 370 were administered Friday.000 vaccine doses administered – down from 466 the previous day.000. A week ago Friday, there were just under 582.000 vaccinations, the Friday before about 769.000.

At least 73.9 percent of the population (61.4 million) have received full basic protection, according to RKI data. This usually requires two doses of vaccination. Nor does the RKI count people who have had only one dose of the Johnson&-Johnson preparation have received, – however that is straight converted. In the future, Johnson&-Johnson vaccinated people are not considered fully vaccinated until they receive a second dose of vaccine – preferably with an mRNA vaccine such as those from Biontech/Pfizer or Moderna.

More than half of the population has received a booster vaccination against coronavirus. At least 43.7 million people (52.6 percent) have been boosted in the meantime, the RKI announced. This is important for effective protection against the particularly infectious virus variant Omikron.

11.02 o’clock: Patient protectors: Homes not yet sufficiently protected against Corona

The German Foundation for Patient Protection has criticized calls to allow the Omikron variant of the coronavirus to run free without tighter restrictions. So far, the many Omikron infections seemed to take a milder course, said Eugen Brysch, chairman of the foundation, in the Dusseldorf "Rheinische Post". "But to let the wave run wild without action would be insane," Brysch said, referring to the situation in nursing homes and hospitals. Because to date, the nursing homes and hospitals are not sufficiently protected against Corona outbreaks, he said. Daily, expertly conducted rapid tests directly at the facility were still lacking, Brysch said. Even boostered employees should not be excluded from this, because even vaccinated people could pass on the virus. This is the only way to prevent the unnoticed introduction of Omikron.

10.47 a.m.: Association of Cities: "Link compulsory vaccination in institutions with ban on activities"

The president of the German Association of Cities and Towns, Markus Lewe (CDU), has called for open questions about the implementation of the facility-based vaccination obligation to be clarified immediately. The facility-based vaccination requirement will only be effective "if employers, employees and authorities can clearly identify the cases in which unvaccinated persons can continue their activities after 15. March and what exceptions there are," said Lewe to the Dusseldorf "Rheinische Post". The obligation to vaccinate should be consistently in the law with a ban on activity and entry, demanded the mayor of Munster.

From 16. March, a so-called facility-based vaccination requirement applies to workers in clinics, nursing homes, doctors’ and dentists’ offices, rescue and nursing services, birthing centers and other medical and nursing facilities. Lewe warned that otherwise compulsory vaccination would come to nothing.

10.8 p.m.: Russia reports more than 100 for the first time.000 new infections

In Russia, for the first time since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, more than 100 people have been infected, according to official figures.000 new infections recorded within one day. The country’s Corona Task Force reports 113.122 confirmed cases. 668 more people also died within 24 hours in connection with the infection. Authorities attribute the spread to the particularly contagious omicron variant.

09.4 p.m.: BDI president criticizes Corona policy

According to Siegfried Russwurm, President of the Federation of German Industries, "after two years of Corona, it is totally unacceptable that there is not enough up-to-date data, PCR testing capacity and uniform hygiene concepts for school classes". He is also puzzled by some decision-making: "We experience Corona summits of the federal and state governments with great unity – and a few hours later, state-specific variants of the decision", The newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe quote the president of the BDI (Federation of German Industries). This leads to a loss of trust and a patchwork quilt that no one understands anymore. Russwurm expresses opposition to home office requirement. He sees "no better alternative to compulsory vaccination if we want to get Germany out of this permanent crisis". However, he rejects a participation of the companies in the enforcement.

07.55 o’clock: More than two million 3G checks at the railroads

The 3G rule has been in effect on public transportation for about two months – and the vast majority of passengers are complying, according to Deutsche Bahn. Around two million checks have been carried out so far on local and long-distance travel, with 99 percent of travelers proving they had been vaccinated, recovered or tested. Those who cannot do so must get off at the next stop and be tested before continuing their journey. In case of conflict, the federal police are called in. At Deutsche Bahn, checks are carried out on a random basis and in teams of two. The 3G rule has been in effect since 24. November.

07.10 a.m.: Soder calls for nationwide hospital traffic lights

Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Soder calls on the federal government to provide new and reliable benchmarks for assessing the corona situation. Since the seven-day incidence, which has been the focus so far, is losing its warning effect in the current Omikron wave, also due to a lack of testing possibilities, "we need a new evaluation system, which should be based on the occupancy of hospital beds, said the CSU leader to the "Welt am Sonntag" newspaper. "This is the only way to find out whether the healthcare system remains stable – or whether there is a threat of overload." He added: "The federal government is required to bring a functioning and meaningful hospital traffic light on the way."

06.06 o’clock: RKI registers 189.166 new corona infections

The nationwide 7-day incidence reported by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has for the first time exceeded the threshold of 1.100 exceeded. The RKI gave the value of the new infections per 100.000 inhabitants and week on Saturday morning with 1.127.7 an. For comparison: On the previous day, the value was at 1.073.0. A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 772.7 (previous month: 205.5). The health offices in 5.01 h). A week ago, there were 135.461 infections.

Experts assume a high and further increasing number of cases not recorded in RKI data, partly because testing capacities and health offices are at their limit in many places. In addition, some cities and districts have been reporting problems with the transmission of Corona case numbers for days now.

04.01 o’clock: DOSB boss to Corona editions in China: "Absolutely necessarily"

DOSB President Thomas Weikert has understanding for the strict corona regulations by host China at the Winter Olympics in Beijing. "After all, these strict measures are good for keeping everyone healthy. I consider this to be absolutely necessary", said the head of the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) to the "Augsburger Allgemeine". "We now know, because there was a positive case in the support staff on arrival, that the tests are proceeding reasonably." Most recently, athletes and coaches had expressed concerns about the guidelines in China.

04.00 a.m.: PCR labs face tough investment decisions

The German laboratory physicians can save themselves at present hardly before loud work. Millions of PCR tests to be processed, Corona crisis causes unprecedented lab workloads and sometimes high profits. But this is also offset by expenses and risk, as Andreas Bobrowski, chairman of the board of the Professional Association of German Laboratory Physicians, says. For now, no one can say how long the high demand for tests will last and whether the purchase of expensive equipment will pay off.

02.10 p.m.: Physician president defends cut in convalescent status

Physicians’ president Klaus Reinhardt defended the shortening of the convalescent status for Corona-infected patients from six to three months. "The scientific evidence to date suggests that unvaccinated people can become infected with the omicron variant much sooner than six months after passing through a delta infection", Reinhardt told the "Rheinische Post. Therefore, the shortening of the convalescent status "makes sense from a medical point of view".

01.01 Clock: Habeck holds out the prospect of extending Corona aid

German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Greens) has held out the prospect of extending Corona aid for businesses. "I hope that by the end of March we will be in a different situation. But if it is necessary to extend the aid again to ensure the survival of hard-hit farms, then we in the federal government will provide the funds for this", Habeck told the Funke media group.

In the decision paper on the consultations of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with the heads of government of the states on 24. January, it was said that the federal government would examine whether the Corona economic aid and the special regulations for short-time working allowance would be extended beyond March.

Friday, 28. January 2022

21.29: Ottawa police call in reinforcements ahead of anti-vaccination demos

Ottawa police have requested reinforcements because of a protest by truck drivers against Canada’s vaccination requirements. There are concerns about "parallel demonstrations", because people with extreme right-wing views had joined the demonstration, the capital’s police chief, Peter Sloly, announced on Friday.

Several thousand protesters are expected in Ottawa. Truck drivers protest rule that they have been driving since 15. January only allowed to cross border into Canada fully vaccinated. The plan is to block the roads around the parliament with hundreds of trucks. U.S. has same requirement for truckers entering country.

Members of parliament have been advised by parliamentary security circles to lock doors. There have been reports that their private homes could be attacked.

19.46 o’clock: Spain according to government with Omikron wave over the mountain

Spain has passed the peak of the current Corona wave, triggered mainly by the Omicron variant, according to government estimates. "Everything points to the fact that the curve of the infections sinks", said Health Minister Carolina Darias on Friday.

The seven-day incidence rate in the popular vacation destination has dropped more than 300 points since its peak last Monday to a recent 1.306 fallen. Pressure on the health care system also eased somewhat. Within a week, utilization of intensive care beds fell from 23.3 to 21.7 percent. During the same period, another 1.225 Corona-related deaths have been recorded, she said.

In the past two weeks, a total of 1.48 million Corona infections have been registered in Spain, he said. Of these, according to the newspaper La Vanguardia but only a good 266.000 clear signs of disease developed. Spain records a comparatively high vaccination rate. More than 80 percent of people vaccinated twice, 44 percent even three times.

Some of Spain’s autonomous communities are now relaxing Corona measures. For example, Catalonia lifted the 3G rule for entering many indoor public places and limits on the occupancy of restaurants. Nightlife, however, remained closed for the time being.

19.7 p.m.: Over 700.000 virus deaths in Russia

In Russia, the number of virus deaths exceeds the mark of 700.000. This is the result of a Reuters calculation based on new data from the statistics office Rosstat. According to the report, 54 died in December.630 people with or at risk of the coronavirus. This means that, based on Rosstat data through the end of December and government working group data for January, the total number of deaths is 701.703 amounts. On Friday, the authorities also record 98.040 new infections within a day.

18.55 a.m.: 6.800 fans allowed at Bundesliga match between Mainz and Hoffenheim

Commenting on the Bundesliga soccer match between the 1. FSV Mainz 05 and TSG Hoffenheim on 5. February may 6.800 spectators come and thus more than last. This was announced by the people of Mainz, referring to the new version of the Corona control ordinance of the state of Rhineland-Palatinate, effective from Monday. Accordingly, 20 percent of the spectator capacity in the Mainz stadium may be used. Last allowed only 1.000 spectators in Mainz to watch the 1-0 win over VfL Bochum in the stadium.

18.02 a.m.: WTO says agreement possible in vaccine patent dispute

In the dispute over vaccine patents, the World Trade Organization (WTO) believes an agreement for poorer countries could be imminent. "We hope to achieve a breakthrough in the coming weeks", WTO chairwoman Ngozi Okonjo-Iweala told journalists on Friday that the match between the 1. According to the report, a "compromise solution" is emerging ab "which provides developing countries with better access to technology transfer and intellectual property while protecting innovation and research".

India and South Africa had proposed a temporary suspension of patent protection on the vaccines last October to speed up production of Corona vaccines in developing countries and address the unequal distribution of vaccines. Since then, negotiations have been ongoing at the WTO level.

Pharmaceutical companies and the states where they are located argue that patents are not the main obstacle to increasing production. At the same time, they warn that a suspension of patents would slow down innovation.

17.30 o’clock: Government removes 13 African countries from risk list

On Sunday, the federal government removed 13 African countries from the list of Corona high-risk areas. Among them are the states where the Omikron variant of the virus first spread in November, including South Africa and Namibia. This was announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Eleven countries newly classified as high-risk areas, including only one in Europe: Ukraine. Also added: Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Guatemala, Iraq, Kyrgyzstan, Cuba, Oman, Pakistan, Palau, Singapore. In addition, the French overseas territory of New Caledonia becomes a high-risk area. Angola, Burundi, Eswatini, Kenya, Lesotho, Malawi, Rwanda, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Tanzania and Uganda are removed from the risk list, in addition to Namibia and South Africa.

16.49 o’clock: Holetschek: More than half in Bavaria is boosted

More than half the people in Bavaria have now received a Corona booster vaccination. Bavaria’s Minister of Health Klaus Holetschek pointed out in Munich on Friday that. According to him, 6.603.683 people may receive their booster vaccination. Of the over 60-year-olds in the Free State are already 73.1 percent boosted, among the adults it is 59.1 percent. And even among 12- to 17-year-olds, 17.5 percent have already received booster shots, he said.

However, the minister also pointed out that, in his opinion, the vaccination gap is too large throughout Germany. It is particularly important for vulnerable groups that more people are vaccinated. Only 73.3 percent of people in the free state would have opted for the first vaccination. Unfortunately, there are still too few. Even if the Omikron variant is probably milder in many cases, the sheer mass of unvaccinated people could overload hospitals and doctors’ offices, according to the CSU politician.

16.2 p.m.: Soon to be 100.000 new infections reported in Russia

Russia moves toward official 100 mark in pandemic.000 daily corona infections to. The government’s Corona working group on Friday reported a total of 98.040 new infections within 24 hours – a new high. At the same time, the Kremlin said the actual number could already be far higher, given the rapidly spreading Omikron variant of the virus in the country.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov said it is obvious that this number is higher – and possibly much higher. Many people did not test for the virus and had no symptoms. According to him, many members of the presidential administration have also already been infected. The vast majority work from home after self-isolation. The explosive contagiousness of Omikron is showing up in full force, he said.

15.03 a.m.: Corona vaccinations soon available in pharmacies

Pharmacies can be of the 8. February to offer Corona vaccinations nationwide. The move is intended to simplify and broaden the range of vaccinations available. The prerequisites for this are now in place, said Gabriele Regina Overwiening, President of the Federal Association of German Pharmacists (ABDA). Pharmacists have been trained since January, and at the same time the technical conditions have been created to report the number of vaccinated people electronically to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

The last open points – the vaccine quotas and the ordering cycle – have been clarified. Coming week, pharmacies could order vaccines for the first time to inoculate themselves. The first vaccinations could then be given from 8. February to be performed, Overwiening said. The offer is voluntary and intended as a supplement to the vaccination offers in doctors’ offices and vaccination centers.

13.44 p.m.: State student council criticizes quarantine regulations

After teacher and parent associations, the state student council is now criticizing quarantine regulations for schools – and a partial lack of support for students in quarantine.

The decision on which students have to go into quarantine has to be made by the already overburdened health authorities "which leads to enormous time delays", criticized the national pupil advice on Friday. "This massively complicates contact tracing at Bavarian schools, which makes the Bavarian State Student Council feel that the safety of students* is not guaranteed." In addition, rapid tests sometimes had low sensitivity, leaving some infections undetected.

In fact, quarantine decisions can be made only by health departments, not by schools themselves. The Bavarian State Student Council is now calling for an adjustment to this approach in light of the rapidly rising Corona numbers.

• To the article: "A farce": Displeasure about quarantine rules at Bavarian schools

13.31: Bavaria – Many Corona-positive patients hospitalized for other reasons

In covid normal wards at several Bavarian hospitals, the majority of patients are treated for a condition other than covid disease. This is shown by a random survey of several clinics in the Free State by BR. Thus, the number of hospitalized Corona cases reported by the State Office for Health and Food Safety (LGL) paints an inaccurate picture – because it does not necessarily reflect how many patients have to be treated due to the pandemic in addition to the usual patient load.

In other states, according to media reports, there are nationwide figures showing that covid patients are now increasingly in the hospital for a different reason. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has announced that the problem could be solved in the coming weeks.

• To the article: Corona cases in Bavaria’s hospitals – distorted picture

13.24 o’clock: Proportion of lonely elderly doubled during Corona pandemic

Proportion of people over 80 feeling lonely doubled during Corona pandemic. Almost twelve percent in this age group felt lonely, the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs announced on Friday on the basis of a study. Before the pandemic, the figure had been significantly lower. Nevertheless, according to the ministry, the very elderly are rarely affected by loneliness. About 88 percent were not.

The risk of loneliness among the very old is unevenly distributed: those over 90, women and people in nursing homes are particularly likely to be affected.

13.19 o’clock: Further more rescue operations in the mountains because of Corona pandemic

Since the beginning of the Corona pandemic, people have been spending more time outdoors – and the emergency services in the mountains have been feeling the effects of this: "The second year of the pandemic also brought new challenges for air rescue. It was clearly noticeable that people spent their free time more in the mountains", said the managing director of the Bavarian Red Cross (BRK), Leonhard Stark, according to a statement on Friday.

As an example the BRK led the employments of the rescue helicopter "Christoph 14" who is stationed at the BRK Air Rescue Center at the Traunstein Clinic. In the past year, he was 1.427 times, which is 244, or 17 percent, more than in the previous year.

"People had fewer leisure opportunities due to the pandemic – so many were drawn to the mountains and the outdoors, often unfortunately unprepared and under-equipped.", Robert Portenkirchner, head of the air rescue center, said of the increase in operations.

12.29 o’clock: Government of Upper Bavaria examines procedure with postponable stationary treatments

Those who are in need of "postponable inpatient treatment" are not affected waits, must be patient with the further planning still somewhat: The government of Upper Bavaria is currently examining how to proceed with the order, which prohibits such treatments because of the tense Corona situation in 76 Upper Bavarian hospitals. This was announced by the press office at the request of Bayerischer Rundfunk.

The order was issued in November and extended again three weeks ago until 31 December. January has been extended. Whether it will expire next Monday or be extended again has not yet been determined. "Medically urgent operations" such as time-critical heart or tumor operations are not affected by the order anyway, as has always been emphasized.

12.8 p.m.: Lauterbach continues to adhere to recovered status of three months

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has once again called the controversial shortening of the convalescent status after a Corona infection from six to three months "sensible" defends. "With Omikron, we have the problem that the person who was infected on the Delta variant can get infected on Omikron after only three months", explained Lauterbach on Friday in Berlin. The convalescent status for six months is "not safe" in view of the risk of infection and contagion that has not been eliminated, Lauterbach said. There was also "no dissent" to this decision between his ministry and the Robert Koch Institute, Lauterbach affirmed in response to several inquiries from journalists about the controversial downgrading of convalescent status to three months.

• Read more : Lauterbach gives positive interim assessment of omicron wave

12.09 o’clock: Care advice warns because of vaccination obligation of personnel bottlenecks

The president of the German Nursing Council, Christine Vogler, warns of supply bottlenecks in nursing care due to the upcoming mandatory vaccination of medical and nursing personnel. "There are so few personnel that we can not afford that even a single one or a single one quits", Vogler told the news magazine "Der Spiegel". "When unvaccinated caregivers are banned from working, the supply situation becomes increasingly precarious."

The way caregivers have been treated during the pandemic has not helped them feel valued, Vogler noted. "We have been caring for people with Corona from the beginning, no matter if masks were missing or protective gowns, even before vaccination was available. Now nurses are being blamed in political debates for spreading the virus". That is unspeakable.

The so-called facility-based vaccination requirement is scheduled to take effect in mid-March.

11.59 Watch: Corona vaccination rate of 80 percent unlikely to be achieved by end of January

The goal of the federal government, that by the end of January 80 percent of the population at least once vaccinated against Corona, threatens to fail. Nationwide on Thursday, at least 466.000 vaccine doses administered, according to data released Friday by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). But only a good 40.000 of which went to people who had not previously been vaccinated. At 85.000 of them were vaccinations that led to full basic protection, and 344.000 for booster vaccinations.

As a result, only 75.7 percent of the population has received at least one vaccine dose to date. 73.8 percent have full basic protection, according to RKI, while 52.2 percent have already received a booster vaccination. According to the statistics, 24.3 percent, or a total of 20.2 million people, are not vaccinated. However, this includes four million children up to the age of four, for whom no approved vaccine is yet available.

• To the article: "Corona: Current figures on vaccination in Bavaria and Germany"

11.33:00: Interior ministers want to take decisive action against Corona demonstrators ready to use violence

Federal and state interior ministers to take decisive action against Corona demonstrators ready to use violence. "We have to oppose people who are ready to use violence and who only use the Corona issues as a hook to spread their radical ideas and their anti-democratic attitude", declared Bavaria’s Interior Minister Joachim Herrmann (CSU) on the occasion of his assumption of the chairmanship of the Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK) on Friday. The fight against all forms of extremism and anti-constitutional tendencies has always been a "central goal" of the IMK. It will advocate increased monitoring of extremist efforts within the "Corona Measures Critics Movement" deploy, Hermann announced.

11.32 Clock: Association: anti-Semitic incidents at 91 Corona protests

From 20. November 2021 to 8. January 2022, there have been anti-Semitic statements at 91 gatherings against the Corona measures in Germany, according to findings by the German Association of Research and Information Centers on Anti-Semitism (Rias). In most cases, anti-Semitic references to National Socialism and the Shoah were found, as Rias announced in Berlin on Friday. According to the report, anti-Semitic conspiracy myths were also used in other cases. In December of last year alone, 67 gatherings had become known at which anti-Semitic content had been disseminated. Overall, according to the association, it was possible to observe that the number of meetings "is increasing in line with the dynamics of the public discourse on the measures to combat the Covid 19 pandemic".

11.31 o’clock: Lauterbach for the time being against relaxations of Corona conditions

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has opposed easing Corona restrictions in the current situation. He stays with the "conservative course", said the SPD politician on Friday in Berlin. Omicron wave has not yet passed its zenith, he said. If, for example, a court overturns a rule or a country distinguishes itself with openings, it has to live with it, she said. Lauterbach, however, stressed: "I do not welcome the relaxations." Even if neighboring countries such as Denmark are currently taking a different approach, he said. "But that is not us." Lauterbach considers easing possible only after omicron wave peaks. One has an easing perspective for the second half of February or early March, says the SPD politician. This is possible if the omicron wave remains under control with only a few severe cases of disease.

11.25 o’clock: Police want to see Partygate report published only in parts

In the UK, the release of an investigative report into lockdown parties at the seat of government could still drag on. London police said Friday they had asked officer Sue Gray to make as few references as possible in her report to events still under investigation by investigators. This was to prevent interference with investigations. The report was actually expected to be published this week. Gray is investigating allegations that parties were held at Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s official residence during the lockdowns to contain the coronavirus in 2020 and 2021. Reports of boozy gatherings sparked public outrage because citizens were required to avoid contact and fines were imposed for violations.

10.53 o’clock: RKI boss Wieler: "We head for peak of the Pandemie"

In light of the high corona case numbers due to the Omikron variant, the president of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, continues to urge caution. It is still unclear how Omikron will affect the older unvaccinated population in particular in the coming weeks, Wieler said Friday in Berlin. "We are actually gaining time with every day that many more people are able to get vaccinated and also take a booster shot", said Wieler. This will also reduce the number of serious cases, he said. "That is exactly the important and right goal." Nevertheless, it should not be forgotten that Germany is "heading for a peak" of the pandemic.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach currently believes easing of Corona restrictions is wrong. One has not yet reached the zenith of the severe cases in the Omikron wave, the minister says. The goal must remain to have as few deaths and as few cases of Long Covid disease as possible.

10.35: Omikron dampens: economy to shrink 0.7 percent by end of 2021

The coronavirus variants Delta and Omikron significantly slowed down the economy in Germany at the end of the year. The economy contracted 0.7 percent between October and December from the previous quarter, the Federal Statistical Office said on Friday. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a drop of only 0.3 percent. In mid-January, statisticians had made an initial estimate of a 0.5 to 1.0 percent decline in gross domestic product (GDP).

10.34 clock: Lauterbach: Corona course shows effect despite high case numbers

Measures to curb the massive Corona wave with the Omikron variant are so far having the expected effect, according to German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach. "We had expected the high number of cases", said the SPD politician in Berlin on Friday. They could still rise to 400,000 per day. However, the goal of getting away with so few serious illnesses and deaths has been achieved so far. Seven-day incidences are now averaging 1,000, he says, and in some cases as high as 2,000 for younger people, but between 200 and 300 for the high-risk group of older people who are particularly at risk. "This is our success.", Lauterbach said. This succeeds through existing everyday requirements and access rules such as 3G, 2G and 2G plus. "We will continue to do that", said the minister.

10.30 o’clock: New PCR test regulation next week

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach plans to present a new testing regulation drafted together with the states next week. PCR testing would then be reserved primarily for two groups, the SPD politician said. This is, on the one hand, the nursing staff, on the other hand, risk patients such as the elderly. Early diagnosis is important here, she said, in order to apply new drugs that have to be used at an early stage.

10.6 p.m.: Expert Karagiannidis: "Acceptable" situation in intensive care units

The situation in Germany’s intensive care units is "acceptable," according to intensive care physician Christian Karagiannidis. At present, he says, just over 2.000 people affected, says member of German government’s expert council in Berlin. It can be observed that the number of delta patients is decreasing. For the past seven to ten days, however, the number of new admissions to hospitals has been rising slightly again. This is clearly due to the Omikron variant, he said.

09.40 Uhr: Von der Leyen: Booster for vaccinated prevents many hospital cases

More than one in two adult EU citizens has already received a booster vaccination against the corona virus. 82 percent of adults are immunized with two doses in most cases, EU Commission chief Ursula von der Leyen said in Brussels on Friday. She urged everyone to vaccinate for whom it was possible to do so. Vaccination and boosters offer the best protection against the coronavirus, including the Omikron variant. In doing so, von der Leyen referred to data from the EU health agency ECDC, according to which the so-called booster vaccination of all those already vaccinated could prevent around one million hospital admissions in the EU. "’Pandemic is not over’, von der Leyen said.

09.38 a.m.: South Korea to care for Corona patients in neighborhood clinics

South Korea to open hundreds of neighborhood clinics next month to care for wave of Corona patients. Deputy Health Minister Lee Ki Il said Friday that about 1,000 small hospitals and medical centers should be designated to treat corona patients by early April. The number of new daily infections reached a record high for the fourth day in a row on Friday. Health Minister Kwon Deok Cheol said given the rapid spread of the Omikron variant, it is imperative to expand outpatient treatments and focus medical resources on high-risk groups, including people over 60 or those with pre-existing conditions.

08.54 o’clock: Study: Omicron economic crisis in China could cut German growth in half

A worsening of the Corona crisis in China due to the highly contagious Omikron variant could severely slow the recovery of the German economy, according to a study. Then the growth of four percent expected for 2022 could be almost halved to only 2.1 percent, as the analysis and consulting company Prognos announced on Friday on a simulation calculation. German economic output would then be 61 billion euros lower in the current year than previously assumed. The researchers looked at how the omicron surge could affect the Chinese economy, and ultimately that of Germany, an important trading partner.

08.54: Herrmann: Corona protesters not all to be lumped together

The new chairman of the German Conference of Interior Ministers (IMK), Joachim Herrmann (CSU), calls for a differentiated view of participants in protests against the Corona policy. "You have to make a clear distinction and not lump all protesters together.", the Bavarian interior minister told the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung newspaper ahead of the meeting of the Conference of Interior Ministers in Stuttgart on Friday. As long as someone is only protesting against restrictions or against an excess of bureaucracy and state regulations, that is absolutely permissible: "Those are not automatically extremists or enemies of the constitution." Still, there were right-wing extremists among the participants, he said.

08.38: Philippines to open to international tourism in February

The Philippines will open its borders to international tourists for the first time in two years starting next month. Vacationers from 157 states who have the full basic Corona protection, with the second shot usually required, are expected to have a high Corona count from 10. February again visa- and quarantine-free to enter the island nation, said government spokesman Karlo Nograles on Friday. This includes Germany as well as all other countries in Europe. According to the report, a prerequisite for entry is a negative PCR test, which must be taken no more than 48 hours before departure, and an international vaccination card. "This will allow the tourism industry to recover and thus contribute significantly to the livelihood of the people and the economic growth of the country", Nograles emphasized.

08.30 o’clock: Near Beijing: Further Chinese large city partially in the Lockdown

A week before the start of the Winter Olympics, another major Chinese city near Beijing has partially gone into lockdown. About 1.2 million people from the new Xiong'an zone south of the capital are not allowed to enter or leave their residential areas for now. This was confirmed by a health official on Friday to the news agency AFP. Corona pandemic restrictions are publicly announced in China. In this case, however, they appear to have been introduced surreptitiously, reports AFP. The lockdown was imposed on Tuesday, the same day five new positive cases were reported in one of the three counties in the zone.

08.5 p.m.: Streeck calls for contact reductions

Virologist Hendrik Streeck has urged people to be cautious in the face of rapidly growing numbers of Corona infections. With such high numbers, everyone should pay attention once again and limit contacts, Streeck said on Friday in the ZDF "Morgenmagazin". Even vaccinated and – in a reduced form – boostered people could transmit the virus. "It’s really about getting through this time again now until we have a trend reversal." In addition, Streeck has reiterated his doubts about a general vaccination requirement. Although he advises everyone to get vaccinated, the head of the Virological Institute of the University Hospital in Bonn said on Friday in the ZDF "Morgenmagazin". However, he is "very, very skeptical" about compulsory vaccination to.

07.15 o’clock: Medical ethicist Eckhard nail against Corona vaccination obligation for older ones

Medical ethicist Eckhard Nagel considers compulsory Corona vaccination from the age of 50 to be "extremely problematic". "We should clearly and unambiguously exclude any form of age discrimination", he told the "Augsburger Allgemeine" newspaper. Conversely, he said, one is quick to discuss at what age certain medical services should still be provided. "This, too, would possibly relieve the burden on the health system, but is deeply unacceptable from an ethical point of view", said Nagel. On Wednesday, the Bundestag had first discussed a possible vaccination requirement in an orientation debate. There are proposals in parliament to make it compulsory either for all adults over the age of 18 or only for the elderly," he said. Another group opposes a general Corona vaccination requirement.

06.01 Watch: Resilience researcher: getting used to high corona numbers

In the view of psychologist Donya Gilan, many people are becoming accustomed to ever-increasing incidences and new infections. "There is something like habituation, so that can lead to the fact that certain measures are perhaps no longer followed so strictly.", Gilan, of the Leibniz Institute for Resilience Research in Mainz, told Deutsche Presse-Agentur. "On the other hand, of course, it also has a de-escalating effect in terms of fear and anxiety." Accordingly, he said, it is important to keep a balance.

According to Gilan, after the long time in the pandemic, despite the high risk, a habituation effect sets in, as can be seen, for example, with victims of other critical life events or disasters. But whether one reacts with particular concern in the face of ever-higher Corona numbers or becomes jaded also depends, for example, on the degree to which one is personally affected and anxious, the expert says. As a strategy to get through the pandemic well after two years of Corona, Gilan recommended "simply in the here and now" to live and, if possible, not to focus so much on the perceived standstill.

05.00 o’clock: Vaccination obligation in the health service: Own enforcement rules for Bavaria?

Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) is considering his own enforcement rules for the Free State on facility-based mandatory vaccination. The "Passauer Neue Presse" the minister said that because the federal government had not yet presented any rules, Bavaria would have to "think for ourselves how we define our own enforcement rules so that the supply is not endangered". Mandatory vaccination for health care workers takes effect 15. March.

04.11 a.m.: RKI reports over 190.000 new infections

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 190.148 positive tests within 24 hours. That’s 49.988 cases more than a week ago on Friday, when 140.160 new infections have been reported. The nationwide seven-day incidence rises to a new high of 1073.0 compared with 1017.4 the previous day. 170 people died in connection with the virus. This brings the number of reported deaths to 117.484. In total, more than 9.42 million Corona tests have been positive in Germany so far.

04.08 Finland lifts some Corona restrictions early

Finland to lift some of coronavirus restrictions early due to easing pressure on healthcare system. "The burden on hospitals is still high, but the most severe cases are declining, and there has been a turn for the better in intensive care units", wrote Health Minister Hanna Sarkkinen on Twitter on Thursday. As of 1. February restrictions on events and businesses will be eased as a result. From the beginning of the month, restaurants will again be allowed to stay open until 9 p.m. instead of 6 p.m. Bars, on the other hand, must continue to close at 6 p.m. Restrictions are also to be dropped for cultural and sporting events, which authorities certify as having a low risk of infection.

03.55 a.m.: Omicron – and then? About new Corona mutants only speculation possible

The Sars-CoV-2 coronavirus is likely to evolve sooner or later – new variants may emerge. However, it is only possible to speculate about their characteristics, explained the president of the Society for Virology, Ralf Bartenschlager, to the German Press Agency (Deutsche Presse-Agentur). "But experience shows that as a virus adapts to its host, pathogenicity usually decreases." Pathogenicity means the ability to cause disease. "This does not mean that this adapted virus no longer makes any disease at all, but it is generally less disease-causing." The virus will certainly become endemic and thus "remain with us".

03.3 p.m.: Morocco gives up airspace 7. February free again

Morocco to open its airspace from 7. Reopen February for international flights. This is reported by the state news agency MAP. The country had banned all international passenger flights in November because of concerns about the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus.

02.50 Critical care physicians warn of patient numbers rising again

Intensive care physicians have warned of rising patient numbers due to the omicron variant of the coronavirus. The president of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi), Gernot Marx, told the "Rheinische Post", in view of the "very high incidences" expect that "the general number of patients can and certainly will increase significantly again". The number of covid patients in normal wards is also "very, very high", Marx said further. "This, of course, is making waves throughout the clinic." An infection with the Omikron variant is often milder than with the Delta variant, but: "We are not talking about a cold", emphasized Marx. "There will be serious courses and also deaths."

02.5 p.m.: Australia approves booster vaccination for 16- and 17-year-olds

Australia’s Therapeutic Goods Administration(TGA) approves booster vaccinations for 16- and 17-year-olds to better guard against the spread of the omicron variant of coronavirus. According to the TGA, booster vaccination with Pfizer and Biontech’s vaccine has been approved for this age group. This is in line with the USA, Israel and Great Britain.

02.01 a.m.: Duerr on Corona crisis: discuss opening perspective already now

FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Durr has called for a rapid discussion on opening perspectives in the Corona crisis. "In any case, we have to start talking about opening perspectives now", Durr told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. "With Omicron, unlike previous Corona waves, it’s no longer incidence that matters, but how much of a burden it is on the health care system." He demanded: "If the clinics withstand the Omikron wave well, the next conference of minister presidents must also recommend openings." Durr stressed: "If freedom interventions are no longer necessary, we must withdraw them immediately."

01.02 a.m.: Contact quarantine: Minister Behrens no longer wants to pay loss of earnings to non-boostered persons

Lower Saxony’s Health Minister Daniela Behrens no longer wants to pay loss of earnings to unboosted contacts of people infected with Corona. "This must happen, and I personally have the 1. March as deadline before", explained the SPD politician in an interview with the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung (NOZ). She pointed out that contacts could eventually avoid quarantine with booster vaccination. Behrens emphasized that she had suggested an exchange on this within the framework of the conference of health ministers. She said she hoped there would be a common line among countries on this, and justified her move by saying there was enough vaccine and enough opportunities to be vaccinated and boostered.

01.00 a.m.: RKI increases focus on disease burden

With numbers of new Omikron infections skyrocketing, Robert Koch Institute (RKI) sees increasing focus on disease burden rather than measuring every infection. For the current assessment of the situation, the focus is "not on the detection of all infections by SARS-CoV-2, but on the development of the number and severity of the illnesses", As per the RKI weekly report released on Thursday evening. Even if not every individual case is recorded in the reporting system, additional estimates "allow a reliable assessment of the overall development of the epidemiological situation" in Germany, it said. Specifically, the experts therefore show estimates of infected people with Covid-19 disease symptoms of varying severity in the weekly report as of recently.

00.45 a.m.: U.S. politician Palin eats at restaurant after positive Corona tests

Shortly after multiple positive Corona tests, U.S. politician Sarah Palin has been spotted in a New York restaurant. As several U.S. media reported unanimously on Thursday, the irritant figure of the political right thus violated the Corona rules in the U.S. East Coast metropolis. Palin sat in the outdoor area of the restaurant in the posh Upper East Side on Wednesday, but would actually have to isolate herself from other people.

Republican Palin – the former Alaska governor and 2008 vice presidential candidate – is unvaccinated and said of the prospects of getting immunized recently, "Over my dead body". That’s why she caused a stir in New York a few days ago by eating inside a restaurant – something only fully vaccinated people are allowed to do in the big city.

00.05 am: Thuringia to raise Corona protests again at conference of interior ministers

Thuringia’s Interior Minister Georg Maier (SPD) wants to use the first meeting of the state interior ministers with the new Federal Interior Minister Nancy Faeser (SPD) on Friday in Stuttgart to talk about the Corona protests. He will address the "Corona denier problem very insistently", he told the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland (RND, Friday editions). "It’s really worrying what’s happening right now here in eastern Germany. The influx is unbroken."

Thursday, 27. January 2022

23.54 o’clock: Report: More than 360 million Corona infected

Around 362.2 million people worldwide have been confirmed to have contracted the coronavirus so far. This is the result of a survey by the Reuters news agency based on official data. More than 5.97 million people died with or from the virus, which was first detected in December 2019 in Wuhan, China. The U.S. has the highest number of infected and dead. India and Brazil follow in terms of infections.

20.39 o’clock: Handball: Further cases in the national team

The Corona cases in the German national handball team do not stop even after the return from the European Championship. As the German Handball Federation announced on Thursday evening, goalkeeper coach Mattias Andersson and player Fabian Wiede, who had traveled to the event in the first place because of the large number of Corona cases, are affected. Wiede will thus also not be available to the Fuchsen Berlin for the time being.

Still on the departure day Lukas Stutzke of the Bergischen HC had likewise received a positive result. The total number of people from the German delegation tested positive for the corona virus thus rose to 18. At least Marcel Schiller, Sebastian Heymann, Timo Kastening and Lukas Mertens were able to end their quarantine with negative tests, according to DHB. The German team had said goodbye on Tuesday evening with a 30:29 victory from the European Championship tournament in Slovakia and Hungary.

19.56 Clock: In France again less than reported 400.000 new infections

In France, the number of daily infections is dropping, but at a very high level. The authorities register 392.168 new infections, after 428.008 cases the day before. Tuesday it was over 501.000 cases detected, almost half a million for the first time last week. Another 268 people associated with the coronavirus have died in hospitals, they said. This brings the total to 102.612 deaths.

19.03 o’clock: Head of the Corona crisis staff does not want to retreat before radical inoculation opponents "back"

The head of the Corona crisis staff in the Chancellor’s Office, Carsten Breuer, will not be intimidated by threats from radical opponents of vaccination. "I will not back down from such a minority. Certainly not", the major general told "Focus". According to the magazine, Breuer is considered to be endangered by opponents of vaccination who are prepared to use violence and is under personal protection.

On the vaccination campaign against Corona, he said there is enough vaccine and anyone willing to be vaccinated can get an appointment. The challenge now is to motivate people: "We need to make it clear that vaccination is about solidarity – on both sides of the syringe," he said."

In the debate about the possible introduction of a general Corona vaccination obligation, the crisis staff chief does not want to take a position. It is a "political decision".

18.48 a.m.: Booster significantly increases protection against death from omicron in over 50s

A booster vaccination with a Covid 19 vaccine significantly increases protection against death from the omicron variant in people over 50 years of age. This was announced by the British Health Security Agency (UKHSA). About six weeks after the second vaccine dose, protection against death from the Corona mutant is only 60 percent in people over 50 years of age. With booster vaccination, this figure would rise to as much as around 95 percent. In the case of the Pfizer/Biontech vaccine, the booster also protects 90 percent against hospitalization. This value drops to 75 percent ten to 14 weeks after administration of the booster vaccination. With Moderna, protection against hospitalization is 90 to 95 percent up to nine weeks after the third dose.

18.36 o’clock: Corona cases in schools increased significantly

The number of Corona infections at schools has risen significantly, according to data from the Conference of Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK). As shown in the weekly KMK statistics, more than 147 were in Germany in the past week.000 cases known among schoolchildren. More than 212.000 more were in quarantine.

The week before – between 10. and 16. January – were about 73.000 Corona infections have been registered, 111.000 were in domestic quarantine. The KMK statistics also show a significant increase in the number of infected teachers: while there were 16. January still slightly more than 5.900 infected teachers recorded, there were in the week to 27. January already 9.551. In the week before Christmas, the figure was just under 5.300 infected teachers.

The KMK presents weekly figures. Based on responses from more than 28 countries.000 general and vocational schools with about ten million students. Overall, there are about eleven million students in Germany and about 40.000 schools and vocational schools.

• To the article "Contact tracing in schools: capitulation to Omikron?"

18.24 o’clock: Nearly 156.000 new infections in Italy

In Italy, health authorities have recorded 155.697 new infections within a day. That is around 11.500 fewer than the previous day, according to the Ministry of Health. 389 more people have died in connection with the virus, up from 426 the day before, he said. Since the outbreak of the virus in Italy in February 2020 died 145.159 people – the second-highest figure in Europe after the United Kingdom and the ninth-highest worldwide. More than 10.54 million cases of infection have been recorded so far.

18.02 o’clock: Canada’s Prime Minister Trudeau must quarantine

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has entered domestic quarantine after contact with a person who tested positive for the coronavirus. Trudeau tweeted that the result of his rapid test was negative, but that he was complying with the rules and isolating himself for five days.

The prime minister has chaired virtual cabinet meetings this week. In the first months of the pandemic, Trudeau had already isolated himself once, after his wife had tested positive.

17.45 o’clock: Lauterbach warns against too much optimism

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) has warned not to expect the Corona pandemic to get any worse. "In the best case scenario, the virus will become more harmless and trigger only small and localized outbreaks,", he told the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung. However, he said, no one knows if this will happen. "We must be prepared for anything."

Experts had recently predicted an imminent transition from pandemic to endemic of the coronavirus. "’Endemic can mean a lot’, emphasized Lauterbach. "We can also end up in an endemic situation where a very dangerous variant is dominant, against which we must continue to protect the vulnerable at great expense." No one can predict how the virus will evolve.

Lauterbach expressed horror at people in health professions who do not want to be vaccinated against Corona. "That medical personnel deny scientific findings and are even willing to endanger patients cannot be", he said. It must be accepted that individual professionals will leave their facilities if the vaccination requirement in hospitals and nursing homes from 15. March on. He does not believe many caregivers are critical of the Corona vaccine, Lauterbach added. He wants to stick to the implementation date.

• To the article "Mandatory vaccination in hospitals – Can it work??"

17.2 p.m.: Autopsy after death at Corona protest in Wandlitz reveals natural cause

Following the death of a 53-year-old man during a demonstration by opponents of the corona measures in Wandlitz in Brandenburg, an autopsy has revealed a natural cause of death. This was reported by the police in Potsdam.

The man had collapsed Monday evening while being identified by police and later died in a hospital. According to police, he had previously tried to break through a police cordon. According to the report, he was prevented from doing so by so-called simple physical force such as pushing away and putting in the way.

Afterwards, emergency personnel established the personal data of him and a female companion and escorted the couple back to their car. On the way, the man collapsed. Officers then initiated first aid measures and alerted rescue services. Since the cause of death was not determined, a death investigation was initiated.

17.06 a.m.: Health agency – Africa can reach 2022 vaccination target

The African continent can meet its 2022 vaccination target, according to the lead health agency in the pandemic. On track to vaccinate at least 70 percent of the population by the end of the year, John Nkengasong, director of the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, told reporters. He believes the vaccination target is achievable as long as current trends are maintained and vaccinations are pushed across the continent, Nkengasong said.

He said his agency is encouraged by the increase in vaccination rates in countries such as Nigeria. There, vaccination fears apparently declined recently after vaccine doses with expired expiration dates were deliberately destroyed and the availability of vaccines was increased.

Currently, eleven percent of the continent’s approximately 1.3 billion inhabitants are fully vaccinated. According to the Africa Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 580 million vaccine doses have been received on the continent and 64 percent of them have been administered.

16.44 o’clock: Myocarditis in vaccinated young people in Israel very rare

When children and young people are vaccinated against the coronavirus, serious side effects are very rare overall, according to new figures from the Israeli Ministry of Health. In the 12- to 15-year-old group, according to the report, approximately 900.000 vaccinations, myocarditis (inflammation of the heart muscle) was reported in 15 cases.

Twelve of the cases occurred after the second vaccine dose. Only one of those affected was female. According to the ministry, the course of the disease in this age group was mostly relatively mild, and all patients could be discharged from the hospital after a few days.

In the group of five to eleven year olds, there was not a single case of myocarditis after vaccination. Young men aged 16 to 24 years had the comparatively highest risk after the second dose of vaccination. Among 16- to 19-year-olds, it was statistically one case in 6.638 vaccinated, with one case of 9 among 20- to 24-year-olds.574 vaccinated. Women aged 30 and older had the lowest risk after the first vaccine dose, with one case in more than one million vaccinated.

However, the overall risk of myocarditis caused by corona disease in the unvaccinated is considered to be significantly higher than that caused by vaccination.

• Regarding the article "Low risk: myocarditis after mRNA vaccination"

16.23 Clock: Raid on 77-year-old doctor suspected of falsified vaccination cards

Police and public prosecutors have searched the offices and private rooms of a 77-year-old doctor in Berlin-Wilmersdorf because of suspected forged corona vaccination certificates. Extensive evidence was found during Wednesday’s raid, including suspected fake batch stickers for vaccination cards, Berlin police said.

Police say the woman is suspected of issuing false vaccination certificates in a number of cases to unvaccinated people in exchange for a bribe of at least 180 euros per passport. According to the report, they were able to use the fake vaccination cards to obtain digital vaccination certificates from pharmacies. This would have given them access to cultural institutions, restaurants, department stores, stores and other establishments where the 2G rule applies.

Police say the doctor is under investigation on suspicion of issuing inaccurate health certificates. In addition, any links the doctor may have to organized crime would be investigated.16.2 p.m.: Vaccination opponents in Costa Rica want to take little boy from clinic by force

A group of Corona vaccination opponents violently entered a hospital in Costa Rica to take out an unvaccinated six-year-old boy. According to the director of the hospital in Heredia, Priscilla Balmaceda, about 30 radical anti-vaccinationists attacked security guards and medical staff on Wednesday and tried to take the boy away. Whose parents had resisted vaccination of their son.

The boy had been hospitalized a few days earlier for a respiratory illness and was to be vaccinated on the recommendation of doctors. A few minutes after a "respectful conversation" with the father, the vaccination opponents had stormed the hospital, Balmaceda reported. The hospital had to be evacuated. Six men and women now face trial in court.

In Costa Rica, vaccination of children ages 5 to 11 has been mandatory since November. If parents or guardians are against vaccination, the state child protection agency (Pani) can intervene. This mandatory vaccination for young children had repeatedly led to rallies in front of parliament in recent weeks.

15.58 Clock: EU authority EMA gives green light for Corona pill Paxlovid from Pfizer

The EU medicines authority EMA has given the green light for the approval of the drug Paxlovid against Covid-19. The drug from U.S. manufacturer Pfizer can prevent severe disease in adult patients after corona infection, the EMA in Amsterdam announced. Once approved, paxlovid will be the first drug patients can take orally at home. The Covid pill is considered very effective, especially in people with pre-existing conditions, it is said to reduce the risk of very severe disease progression by 89 percent.

Now the EU Commission still has to approve the approval, but that is considered a formality. "The safety profile of paxlovid was favorable and side effects generally mild", the EMA experts stated: "Based on laboratory studies, it is also expected to be effective against omicron and other variants."

It is still unclear when the drug will be available on prescription from pharmacies. According to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD), one million packs of Paxlovid have been ordered. "The drug is particularly suitable for the treatment of unvaccinated high-risk patients", he had said. With this drug, a total of seven drugs will then be approved for the treatment of Covid 19 patients in the EU.

• To the article "Corona drugs: What Paxlovid, Molnupiravir and Co. can."

15.40 a.m.: German airlines with 68 percent fewer passengers – industry calls for opening perspective

German airlines carried around 52.5 million passengers last year. That was 68 percent fewer than in the year before the Corona pandemic in 2019, according to the German Air Transport Association (BDL). In 2020, the drop had been even greater, at 75 percent.

Demand fell sharply, particularly in the first two months of 2021, and then recovered only slowly, the BDL said. In the fall of 2021, the global aviation industry was still in the deepest crisis since 1945: "The infection events surrounding the Delta and Omikron variants once again put the brakes on demand in the aviation industry."

Important traffic flows, for example to the Asian region, are still blocked by travel restrictions, explained BDL President Peter Gerber. He called for the restrictive measures to be withdrawn "as soon as the infection situation allows". Vaccinations and testing allowed safe mobility.

15.4 p.m.: Green Party presidential candidate Ricarda Lang infected with Corona

Green Party presidential candidate Ricarda Lang contracted corona virus just before party conference. A PCR test was positive, and she has been isolated at home since Wednesday evening, Lang wrote on Twitter. The 28-year-old will thus also be digitally connected for her application speech and will not be on site as planned.

Lang further wrote: "Fortunately, I am triple vaccinated, I am fine and I do not feel any symptoms." All her at-risk contacts had been notified. The Green Party politician had made her first speech in the Bundestag plenary on Wednesday in the debate on mandatory vaccination.

PCR test is ‘standard safety precaution’ because of Green Party conference starting Friday have been made. Previously, rapid tests had come back negative on Tuesday morning as well as Wednesday morning, Lang wrote.

15.01 a.m.: Catalonia abolishes vaccination certificate with Covid passport because of Omikron

Because of the infection caused by the Omikron variant of the coronavirus, visitors to bars, restaurants and gyms in Catalonia will no longer have to show proof of vaccination as of Friday. "A significant proportion of the population" was "again vulnerable to infection with the coronavirus because of Omikron", regardless of their vaccination or convalescent status, said the government of the region in northeastern Spain. This means that the actually obligatory proof of a Covid passport is of less use than before.

Although the number of infection cases in Catalonia is still high, hospitals are not as overloaded as feared. Authorities therefore gradually lifted most of their restrictions over the past few days. Only discos remain closed. Despite the high vaccination rate of 90.7 percent of residents over 12 years of age, cases of Covid-19 have increased significantly in Spain since the end of December. The country now has one of the highest incidence rates in Europe.

14.43 h: Lithuania – More than 10 for the first time.000 new infections

Lithuania has recorded a record number of new Corona infections for the second day in a row. With 10.630 registered cases within 24 hours, a five-digit figure was recorded for the first time – 9.490 were there the day before. According to the health authority in Vilnius, the 14-day incidence thus rose to 2.985 infections per 100.000 inhabitants – the highest figure in the Baltic EU country with almost three million inhabitants since the beginning of the pandemic.

Authorities say the vast majority of new cases are due to the particularly contagious Omikron variant. Health Minister Arunas Dulkys says new Corona rules not necessary for now. Pandemic could be contained with current restrictions, he said.

14.10 p.m.: Up to 800 EU-wide.000 fewer hospitalizations possible with booster

Booster vaccinations could avoid hundreds of thousands of hospital admissions in Europe, EU says. With the booster rate achieved by early January, a reduction of 500 cases in the EU, Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein is expected.000 to 800.000 possible, the EU health agency ECDC said.

About 70 percent of EU citizens have been fully vaccinated so far, half of whom have also received a booster. If all those already vaccinated took up the third vaccination, the number of hospitalizations could be even lower, says EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides.

14.04 Clock: More Corona patients and personal illnesses at Munich clinic

Two years after the first Corona patient in Germany came to the Munich Clinic Schwabing, interim results were drawn there today. 3.700 Corona patients have now been treated at the Munich hospitals in Schwabing, Harlaching, Bogenhausen and Neuperlach. 900 were in intensive care, a third of them died. At the moment there are 90 patients – tendency again rising. More and more employees are also falling ill. This is "actually the biggest concern I have for the next week", said hospital boss Axel Fischer.

Vaccinations are the only way out of the pandemic, warned Munich’s health spokeswoman Beatrix Zurek. Bavaria’s Minister of Health Klaus Holetschek (CSU) stressed that Corona will continue to occupy politicians even afterwards. For example, he named the financing of hospitals and the framework conditions for nursing staff as "challenges of the future". One must also direct the view now already on that.

13.46 o’clock: Hamburg police prohibit again large Corona demonstration

Hamburg police have stopped a demonstration registered for next Saturday by 11.000 Corona measures opponents prohibited. Police spokesman Holger Vehren said the main reason was to protect against infection. The applicant, an association, had the demo under the slogan "Against the mask obligation and other Corona measures" and made it clear that he wanted to hold the demonstration without masks. He also said he had not shown a willingness to cooperate.

Given the pandemic situation, she said, a meeting with 11.000 participants without masks not possible, said Vehren. Two weeks ago, a large-scale demonstration by opponents of the vaccination and corona measures, which was attended by up to 15.000 people were expected, had been banned for infection control reasons. Nevertheless about 3.000 people mostly gathered without masks and distance. When they refused to vacate the square, police pushed the protesters away, sometimes with physical force.

Against the prohibition of the demonstration two weeks ago the applicant had proceeded with an urgent application at the administrative court and had failed. A possible appeal to the Hamburg Higher Administrative Court failed to materialize. The organizer of the now banned demonstration has also announced his intention to take legal action, Vehren said.

13.8 p.m.: Hong Kong shortens quarantine for inbound travelers to 14 days

Hong Kong reduces quarantine duration on entry by seven days to 14 days. The change applies from 5. February, government chief Carrie Lam said. Diplomats and financial industry had previously criticized the length of the quarantine, saying it harmed competition. Lam stressed, however, that she is not bowing to pressure from others with the new regulation. It was simply shown that Omikron has a short incubation period.

Up to now, people arriving from more than 160 countries have to spend 21 days in hotel quarantine at their own expense. For which countries the new regulation applies, Lam did not yet announce.

13.06 clock: Italy wants to relax entry regulations from February

Italy vacationers can count on relaxed Corona entry rules as of February. From 1. February, travelers from EU countries will only need either a negative Corona test or proof of vaccination or recovery when they come to Italy, a health ministry spokesperson explained in response to a query. Health Minister Roberto Speranza has signed an order to this effect.

In the Mediterranean country, the proof of vaccination is called a "Green Pass" describes. QR codes used in Germany for vaccination also apply in Italy. Until now, all travelers, including those vaccinated against corona and those who had recovered, also had to show a negative corona test.

In the country with a population of around 60 million, the numbers of new daily infections with the virus remain high. On Wednesday, the authorities reported about 167.000 infections within one day. According to media reports, the government is currently considering suspending the expiration date of the vaccination certificates of those who have received the booster vaccination.

12.55 Clock: State government wants pool tests "as long as possible" Maintain

Despite initial bottlenecks in laboratory capacity, Bavaria plans to maintain its system of pool testing for coronavirus in elementary and special school children "as long as possible" maintained. A health ministry spokeswoman said in response to a question from Deutsche Presse-Agentur. In the past few days, individual parents had described the pool tests of their children as "not evaluable in the laboratory" received back without results.

Overall, the ministry is satisfied with the pool testing procedure. "Bavaria is at the forefront of successful implementation of PCR pool testing nationwide", stressed the spokesperson. In the past week, they said, the results of more than 50.000 PCR pool tests and more than 45.000 individual PCR tests with a rate of 95 percent have been transmitted to schools and parents before the start of classes the following day.

However, the capacity for PCR testing is to be further increased. Already in recent weeks, it has been possible to increase the number of weekly PCR tests to 486.000 to increase. "Further increases are to be expected", said the spokeswoman. The use of so-called PoC (point of care) PCR devices – for example, in pharmacies or in testing centers run by aid organizations – should bring relief, he said. The ministry spokeswoman said that there was a "constructive exchange" with the service providers and the federal government.

In the event that individual samples in the laboratories can not be evaluated, there were clear guidelines. "If a pool is positive and the reserve samples cannot be evaluated, students stay home the next day and can have a free PCR test at local testing centers, for example", explained the ministry spokeswoman. In the event that a pool cannot be evaluated, an antigen self-test takes place the next day at school.

12.32 p.m.: At least 43 million people have received booster vaccination

More than half of the population has received a booster vaccination against the coronavirus. At least 43 million people (51.7 percent) have now been boostered, the Robert Koch Institute reported. This is considered important for effective protection against the particularly contagious virus variant Omikron.

In Germany on Wednesday, about 458.000 vaccinations against the coronavirus have been administered. At least 75.6 percent of the population (62.9 million people) have been vaccinated once so far. The federal government is aiming for 80 percent first-time vaccinated by the end of January. The goal seems increasingly unrealistic.

At least 73.7 percent of the population (61.3 million) have received full basic protection, according to RKI data. This usually requires two doses of vaccine. Still, the RKI also counts people who have only received one dose of the Johnson&-Johnson preparation have received, – however, that is currently being changed over. In the future, Johnson&-Johnson vaccinees will not be considered fully vaccinated until they receive a second dose of vaccine – preferably with an mRNA vaccine.

Not vaccinated are currently 24.4 percent of the population (20.3 million people). For 4.8 percent (four million) of these people aged 0 to 4 years, no licensed vaccine is yet available.

12.8 p.m.: NRW must pay compensation after Corona quarantine at Tonnies

Following the corona-related shutdown and quarantine of numerous employees at meat processor Tonnies in spring 2020, the state of NRW must pay compensation in two cases. This was the decision of the Administrative Court in Minden. These were the first cases of this kind to be decided in court. More than 4.500 similar cases are still before the Minden administrative court, a spokeswoman said.

The cases now decided involve two subcontractors who worked with their own employees on Tonnies premises, the spokeswoman said. The two employees – like many of their colleagues – were each quarantined for several weeks in June and July, she said, on orders from the district. The subcontractors would have continued to pay the wages plus social security contributions, but would have demanded the money back from the country.

She said the state denied payment because the company failed to adequately protect employees in the workplace, resulting in Corona infections. Therefore, she said, there is no entitlement to wage compensation under the Infection Control Act. The Minden court did not follow this view. The court did not initially give a reason for the decision.

12.07 a.m.: RKI considers improvement of Corona reporting software necessary

Improvements are needed in the software used by health departments to report Corona cases, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). In addition to "fixing current problems in the software," this also involves "improvements to the user interface so that processes can be handled more easily and quickly, said an RKI spokeswoman in response to a question from the Deutsche Presse-Agentur. In addition, there is a need for "technical upgrades so that the large volumes of data can be handled".

In recent weeks, employees in a number of public health departments had complained that the software provided by the RKI, "SurvNet," was not working properly the software is so slow to respond to input that it is often unusable. In addition, the software frequently crashes. The SurvNet system is used by many of the approximately 400 health offices to transmit their data to 16 state health offices. There, the data is processed again before it then goes to the RKI.

The RKI spokeswoman emphasized that the institute has an overview of the cases reported, but "cannot give a systematic overview of how many reports cannot be processed promptly in the health offices". It was known to the RKI that there was a backlog due to the very high number of reports in the offices. This is also the case in the offices without any software problems, he said.

11.24 o’clock: More than 57.000 new Corona infections in Poland

The number of new Corona infections in Poland has reached an all-time high for the second day in a row. Within 24 hours, 57.659 new cases added to the total, according to the Department of Health on Thursday. This is the highest number since the pandemic began. In the same period, 262 people died in connection with the virus. Poland has a population of around 38 million, just under half that of Germany. Following a directive from the Ministry of Education, all schools in the country on Thursday switched to distance learning for students in grades 5 and up. Class around. The rule is to be in effect for one month. Also, Poland now introduces the possibility of free Corona tests. As of now, there are 64 pharmacies nationwide where citizens can get tested, Minister Adam Niedzielski announced.

11.05 a.m.: New Mexico governor helps out school over teacher shortage

Because of a Corona-related massive teacher shortage in the U.S. state of New Mexico, its governor, Michelle Lujan Grisham, has personally stepped in as a substitute teacher at a school. "It was perhaps one of the best days in my entire career", Grisham said after her first day as a teacher Wednesday (local time). Dealing with the schoolchildren was "easier than dealing with the cabinet", she joked. Still, she said teaching had been harder than she had anticipated.

Grisham, who has a law degree, launched an initiative last week to bring lateral hires to schools and daycare centers because of the teacher shortage. "Our schools are a key source of stability for our children. We know they learn best in the classroom and develop best when they are with their friends", the governor justified the program.

11.00 a.m.: Omicron puts strong brakes on aviation recovery

The worsening Corona pandemic is putting an additional brake on the already faltering aviation recovery. The Omikron wave caused significantly fewer flights in January and February, the German Air Transport Association (BDL) said Thursday. "For this period, airlines have again had to cut capacity at short notice by around 30 percentage points compared to the planning level of September 2021 due to demand." Currently, the supply of seats at German airports for January to May is 69 percent of the level in the same period in 2019, and thus before the pandemic crisis. By way of comparison, the airlines were still planning on a rate of almost 90 percent at the end of the summer.

10.32 Clock: Pharmacologist Sorgel: Olympia without Omikron "is unrealistic"

Pharmacologist Fritz Sorgel considers a staging of the Winter Olympics in Beijing without Omikron cases inconceivable. This "is unrealistic", said the 72-year-old in an interview with the Munchner Merkur and the tz: "The situation is so complicated that even people tested shortly before departure can be positive 24 hours later on arrival. It is not possible to prevent infections completely." Sorgel also takes a critical view of the CT guideline value for coronatests at the Beijing Games (4. through Feb. 20). In general, the "smaller the value, the more infectious the infected person", explained Sorgel. The danger is, however, "that at the latest from a value of 35, only fragments remain, which can also be present for a very long time after an infection."After the objections of the associations, "the value 35 has now been accepted, but with considerable restrictions and additional tests", Sorgel said.

10.30 o’clock: Omikron slows down economy – Recovery approaching in spring

According to the Berlin-based DIW, Germany is heading into an economic slump amid the omicron wave. This is signaled by the barometer of the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW), which is down slightly in January. After being just above the 100-point threshold in the fourth quarter of 2021, it has now fallen below it with an index reading of 99.5 points for the first quarter of 2022, researchers said Thursday.

Experts polled by Reuters expect a decline of 0.3 percent for the fourth quarter. Primarily due to the impact of the current omicron wave, a slight decline is now also emerging for the beginning of the year, according to the DIW. All in all, the beginning of the year continues to be marked by the pandemic. But the prospects for recovery in the spring are good, he added. In the industry, there are increasing signs that the material bottlenecks are gradually being resolved. Overall, companies in this country are also likely to gradually produce more again.

10.12 o’clock: Staff shortage due to Corona causes problems for Lufthansa Cargo

Rising numbers of infections in the Corona pandemic have made themselves felt at Lufthansa’s cargo subsidiary Lufthansa Cargo in Frankfurt. "Despite extensive preventive measures, we are now also clearly feeling the increased incidence of infection,", explained the company on Thursday. This has led to an extraordinary reduction in staffing levels, which is currently disrupting operations at the Frankfurt cargo hub, he said. The flight schedule is not affected. But from the U.S., Canada and Europe, no loose cargo – shipments with different destinations in one container – can be re-sorted at the moment, he added. Particularly urgent freight such as organ donations or temperature-controlled shipments are not affected, they said.

09.34 o’clock: Caritas president: Vaccination obligation starting from 18 years is not a general vaccination obligation

In the discussion about a general vaccination obligation, the German Caritas Association accuses politicians of "fraudulent labeling" before. Caritas President Eva Maria Welskop-Deffaa told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" that the compulsory vaccination from the age of 18 advocated by Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and others is not a general approach, but rather one that is differentiated according to age of Thursday. Either the policy should orient itself at the vaccine permission starting from five years or at the most endangered group starting from 50 years. "I can’t think of any argument in favor of 18", said Welskop-Deffaa.

• To the overview: "Aktuelle HIntergrunde und News zur Corona Impf"

09.12 p.m.: Ukraine reports record number of new Corona infections

Amid rising tensions in conflict with Russia, Ukraine reports peak levels of new Corona infections. Within 24 hours, 32.393 new cases have been registered, according to the Ministry of Health. That is more than ever before. The old record was 4. November at 27.377 cases. In total, Ukraine records 3.95 positive tests and 99.738 deaths related to the virus.

08.39: Study: corona mortality risk higher under populist governments

In countries with populist governments, corona mortality risk is significantly higher than elsewhere, according to a study. The excess mortality there is on average more than twice as high as in non-populist-governed countries, according to the research paper produced on Thursday with the cooperation of the Kiel Institute for the World Economy (I). "The numbers are clear: Populists are clearly the worse crisis managers in the Corona pandemic and are responsible for many preventable deaths in the countries they govern", said I expert Michael Bayerlein, who researches populism.

So-called excess mortality – the number of deaths above what would have been expected even without the pandemic – is just over eight percent in non-populist-led countries. In populist-led countries, however, it is almost 18 percent, according to the study. The authors classified a total of 13 governments as populist, including those in Poland, Slovakia, the Czech Republic, Hungary, the United Kingdom, Brazil and India.

08.00: Consumer sentiment defies Corona and inflation

Amid Corona wave, consumer mood in Germany brightens surprisingly. The barometer of the Nuremberg-based GfK market researchers signals the first increase for February after two consecutive declines: Accordingly, it climbs by 0.2 points to minus 6.7 points. Economists polled by Reuters had expected a drop to minus 7.8 points. But despite rising corona incidences and inflation, consumers were somewhat more optimistic again, as Gfk expert Rolf Burkl explained on Thursday, saying they hoped for a slight easing, especially on the price front. "Nevertheless, consumers’ price expectations remain significantly higher than in recent years", said the consumer expert.

07.56 Clock: Corona incidence in Bavaria continues to rise sharply

Corona incidence in Bavaria continues to rise sharply. With 1159 new infections per 100.000 inhabitants, it was 91 higher early Thursday morning than the previous day’s figure, according to the Robert Koch Institute. Drivers of the increase were 34 193 more reported infections since Wednesday. The number of Corona-related deaths since the pandemic began rose by 29 to 20.391. The highest incidence in Bavaria is currently 2112 in Dachau. It is the first county to exceed the 2000 mark. They were followed by Rosenheim at 1835.2 and Munich at 1830.1. The lowest incidences are in the counties of Coburg with 429.7 and Hof with 489.8. These are also the only counties in Bavaria where the incidence is still below 500.

Meanwhile, the new Corona wave is also arriving in hospitals. As of Wednesday, the state health and food safety agency had reported 549 hospitalizations within seven days, up 43 percent from a week ago.

07.51 Clock: Hospitals expect many new Corona patients

Hospitals are preparing for numerous new patients in view of the soaring Corona infection figures. The current figure of 200,000 newly infected people within one day will only have an effect in hospitals in seven to ten days, said the chairman of the German Hospital Association, Gerald Gab, on Thursday on ZDF "Morgenmagazin". "That means we will continue to see a high momentum of new arrivals to hospitals in the coming days and probably weeks", he said. In addition, personnel are absent because of their own infections. "This puts a strain on hospitals." Because of the staff shortages, half of the hospitals had already reported occupancy restrictions in the past week. "At the moment, however, it is not the case that supply is at risk", said Gab.

07.50 o’clock: Israel extends circle of the entitled ones for fourth Corona inoculation dose

Israel has expanded the number of people eligible for a fourth dose of Corona vaccine. The Health Ministry announced Wednesday that in the new phase of the vaccination campaign, all immunocompromised people aged 18 and older will also be eligible to receive a fourth dose of the vaccine. The same applies to people who are exposed to a high risk of infection through their occupation. Until now, the fourth vaccine dose was only available for older and particularly vulnerable population groups. According to the Ministry of Health, more than 600.000 out of a total population of 9.4 million have already received a fourth dose of Corona vaccine. In recent days, new infections have also risen to record levels in Israel due to the highly contagious Omikron variant of the coronavirus.

• To the article: "Corona – Coming soon the fourth vaccination?"

07.30 o’clock: Clinics set with employees on vaccination persuasion and Novavax

Hospitals in Germany are tightening restrictions until mandatory vaccinations for their employees take effect on 15. March on persuasion. "We also hope that some will take up the new Novavax vaccine and that this will still reduce the numbers of the unvaccinated", says the chairman of the German Hospital Federation (DKG), Gerald Gab, on ZDF television. "But who after the 15. March is still unvaccinated, must count on the fact that he is released first then from the work and without wage continuation payment." After that, the health department will investigate the cases, which will take some time. "These are, of course, problems that we then face in addition", according to Gab.

07.6 p.m.: More than 50 for the first time.000 new infections in the Czech Republic

Czech Republic reports more than 50 for the first time.000 new Corona infections, a new record for the third day in a row. Within 24 hours, the Ministry of Health registered 54 new infections in the country with a population of around 10.7 million.685 new infections.

07.00 o’clock: Immunologist Watzl criticizes "blind flight" with convalescents

Immunologist Carsten Watzl has argued that vaccinated and recovered people should be treated equally. The fact that vaccinated people are considered immune longer than people who have survived a Corona infection is "not comprehensible", said the Secretary General of the German Society for Immunology to the German Press Agency. In mid-January, the German Federal Ministry of Health, citing a ruling by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), announced that those who had recovered would only be considered protected for three months. Previously it was six months.

05.40 Uhr: RKI – Number of new infections exceeds 200.000

The number of new Corona infections in Germany has exceeded 200 for the first time.000 exceeded. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported on Thursday morning, citing data from health offices 203.136 new infections within 24 hours. On Wednesday, the RKI still had 164.000 new infections were reported a week ago Thursday, 133.536. The seven-day incidence also surpassed the one-thousand mark for the first time, reaching 1 on Thursday morning.017,4. On Wednesday, the incidence had still been 940.6. As of last Thursday, there were 638.8. The incidence quantifies the number of new infections per 100.000 inhabitants in a seven-day period. According to the RKI, 188 new deaths related to the coronavirus were counted on Thursday.

05.38: Beijing tightens restrictions ahead of Olympics

China continues to restrict people’s movement in large parts of capital Beijing despite falling case numbers. According to the government, this is to reduce the virus risk a few days before the start of the Winter Olympics. Beijing’s Fengtai district says residents can only leave their homes for essential reasons and must undergo daily corona testing.

04.00: Israeli consul general dismayed by anti-Semitism at demos

The Consul General of the State of Israel, Carmela Shamir, has expressed dismay at anti-Semitic excesses at demonstrations against the Corona measures. "We were shocked when we saw the slogans and the pictures of people wearing the Star of David", Shamir told the German Press Agency during her inaugural visit to the Interior Ministry of Baden-Wurttemberg in Stuttgart. "The scale has shocked us." Society has taken a long time to understand how serious the phenomenon is, they say. In the meantime, however, there is more understanding and more and more counter-protests, Shamir said.

02.08 a.m.: England lifts most Corona restrictions

Despite high Corona case numbers, England has again lifted almost all pandemic measures still in place. Since Thursday, masks are no longer mandatory in most indoor areas in the largest part of the UK, and the vaccination or test certificates, which are only used at large events and in clubs anyway, no longer need to be checked. The recommendation to work from home also no longer applies. There will soon be further relief for vaccinated travelers, too: From 11. February, the previously required mandatory test upon arrival in the country will be dropped. In the British capital London, however, masks are still compulsory on trains and buses. Some supermarkets also continue to call on their customers to. In recent days, new infections have leveled off at a high level – daily between 80.000 and 100.000 new infections reported, seven-day incidence last at around 945.

• To the overview: "Risk areas and case numbers – Corona data for Europe"

02.00 o’clock: Hans: Criticism of Corona policy grows, cohesion still great

Two years after the first confirmed case of Corona in Germany, Saarland’s Minister President Tobias Hans (CDU) sees growing criticism of the Corona policy, but he does not consider cohesion in society to be at risk. "After this long period of restrictions, many people are simply tired of the pandemic and wish for life to return to the way it was before Corona. The fact that criticism of individual measures or the Corona strategy as a whole is increasing is therefore also completely understandable, and the political decision-makers will also have to live with this: Because in this situation, there never was and never will be the one perfect solution that has no disadvantages for anyone.", Hans told the "Rheinische Post (Thursday).

01.03 a.m.: Doctors’ representatives warn of staff shortages due to Omikron wave

Physicians’ representatives fear gaps in medical care because staff are also increasingly becoming infected with the corona virus. "The more incidences rise, the more practices will have to close, even temporarily, due to illness", Ulrich Weigeldt, the national chairman of the German Family Physicians Association, told the Funke Mediengruppe newspapers. Omicron infection wave does not stop at family doctors and their practice teams. Practices are already working "at the limit. If the number of infections continues to rise, he said, the situation will come to a head.

01.02: 42.6 million more digital vaccination certificates issued than Corona vaccine doses administered

In Germany, 42.6 million more digital vaccination certificates have been issued than Corona vaccine doses administered since the vaccination campaign began 13 months ago. As of last Friday, 204.7 million digital certificates had been issued for Corona vaccinations, according to the Federal Ministry of Health in response to an inquiry from the Neue Osnabrucker Zeitung (NOZ) announced. However, according to the ministry, "only" certificates had been issued by this Monday 162.1 million doses injected for first, second and third vaccinations, 42.6 million fewer. The opposition in the Bundestag demanded clarification in the NOZ and complained of a "data chaos".

The Ministry sees in the difference neither an indication of fake vaccination passports nor of millions of unreported vaccinations. A ministry spokesman named on NOZ inquiry "different reasons". On the one hand, "especially at the beginning of the application, many certificates were automatically generated by vaccination centers and sent to the vaccinated persons" while the persons concerned would often already have been issued a certificate in a pharmacy. Furthermore, certificates "could also be issued more than once, for example if a person loses his certificate," Goring-Eckardt said.

00.40 o’clock: Goring Eckardt expects Aus for Genesen special rule in the Bundestag

Bundestag Vice President Katrin Goring-Eckardt assumes that the Bundestag will change the Corona special regulation on convalescent status again. For citizens, this has been shortened to three months; in parliament, a general decree by Bundestag President Barbel Bas (SPD) means that the deadline is six months. "It was not a good idea and that is why it will be changed. I am quite sure about that", said Goring-Eckardt on Wednesday evening in the ARD program "Maischberger". The Week.". That the special regulation has upset many people "I understood that well", said the parliamentary vice president.

• To the article: "Convalescent status – calls for extension to six months"

00.39 o’clock: Moderna starts clinical study on Omikron vaccine

Manufacturer Moderna has begun its first clinical trial to study a Corona vaccine specifically tailored to the Omikron variant. A total of 600 volunteers – some with two or already three injections – would participate at 24 sites in the U.S., Moderna announced Wednesday (local time). Although the consistency of antibodies with the normal booster vaccination gives confidence, said Moderna chief Stephane Bancel. "In view of the long-term threat posed by the so-called immune escape of Omikron, we are nevertheless pressing ahead with our Omikron-specific vaccine candidate." Most recently, Biontech and Pfizer had also announced the testing of their candidate vaccine against omicron.

• To the overview: "Current background and news to the Corona vaccination"

00.5 p.m.: 62.000 French vaccination certificates falsified – suspects arrested

Investigators in France have uncovered a network of fraudsters who have 62.000 alleged to have created fake vaccination certificates. Investigations by a Paris-based special cybercrime unit have led to the arrest of five people in the Poitiers and Lyon areas, France Info broadcaster reported Wednesday evening, citing police. Three suspects, aged 22 to 29, allegedly hacked the data of 35 doctors to create false evidence of Corona vaccinations. They are said to have resold this directly and through intermediaries. The fraud was discovered after a health insurance company, among others, provided information about thousands of alleged vaccinations by a single nurse who was not involved in the vaccination campaign.

Wednesday, 26. January 2022

22.44 o’clock: Caritas president: No argument for vaccination obligation starting from 18 years

The president of the German Caritas Association, Eva-Maria Welskop-Deffaa, sees the 18. Age as limit for the introduction of a vaccination obligation as not sufficiently justified. "Either one is based on the vaccine approval, i.e. from the age of five, or on the vulnerability of the group in question. Then you end up like Italy with compulsory vaccination from 50", Welskop-Deffaa told the "Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung" newspaper.

22.00 a.m.: Lauterbach wants to implement shortened convalescent status throughout Europe

In the dispute over shortening the recovery period after Corona infections in Germany, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has defended the three-month deadline and intends to seek implementation at the European level as well. "We will soon try again to implement the three months also at the European level", said the SPD politician on Wednesday evening in the ZDF "heute journal". "After three months, the person who was already infected with the Delta variant can be infected again with the Omikron variant. So the three months are scientifically correct", emphasized Lauterbach. The EU states agreed on Tuesday that travelers should be able to move freely within the Union without further requirements if they present valid proof of vaccination, testing or convalescence. In the case of the proof of recovery, a validity of 180 days is mentioned here, i.e. six months. In Germany, the status had been surprisingly shortened in the middle of the month to a period of 28 to 90 days following a positive PCR test.

© picture alliance / SvenSimon | Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON
Image rights: picture alliance / SvenSimon | Frank Hoermann/SVEN SIMON

Photomontage with two signposts with the inscription "General vaccination obligation" and "freedom".

21.08 o’clock: 3.000 opponents of compulsory vaccination demonstrate in Munich

In the evening, opponents of mandatory vaccination gathered on Munich’s Konigsplatz square. The stationary assembly was registered, the police spoke of up to 3.000 participants. Speakers opposed mandatory vaccination, criticized public media coverage and denounced alleged concealment of vaccination deaths. Posters read, among other things, "Together against compulsory vaccination" or "Hands off the children to read. After two hours, the organizers ended the meeting. At the same time, about a hundred people had gathered in Odeonsplatz, demonstrating against vaccination critics and in favor of compulsory vaccination. According to police, the evening passed without incidents and without charges.

20.44 a.m.: British prime minister rules out resignation over Partygate

British Prime Minister Boris Johnson won’t resign over several lockdown parties at his official residence. The government leader told House lawmakers he would release the findings of an investigative report as promised. He brushed aside questions about the scandal and his future, saying he had "absolutely no intention" of doing so to resign.

20.09 o’clock: US expert: With Omikron relatively fewer patients in hospital

Despite extremely high corona case numbers, the number of patients admitted to clinics did not increase to the same extent during the Omikron wave in the U.S. "While the number of cases has increased dramatically and is five times higher than during the Delta wave, hospital admissions have not increased to the same extent. And the deaths are still low compared to the number of cases", U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) chief Rochelle Walensky said Wednesday. "The severity of Covid 19 disease appears to be lower in the Omikron variant than in earlier variants." According to Walensky, on average over the past few days, the U.S. recorded about 692.000 new infections per day, a 6 percent decrease from the previous week. The number of hospital admissions has dropped by about eight percent, he said. There has been a 21 percent increase in deaths, he said. Covid-19 is 68 times less likely to die with booster vaccination than completely without Corona vaccination, CDC chief says. "’Our hospitals are full of people who have not been vaccinated’, Walensky reminded.

19.42: England lifts most Corona restrictions

In England, most Corona restrictions will be lifted tomorrow. For example, the mask requirement no longer applies indoors, and the health passport no longer has to be shown in clubs and at certain major events. The government’s recommendation to work from home also no longer applies. "As Corona becomes endemic, we need to replace legal obligations with advice and recommendations", British Prime Minister Boris Johnson had founded the decision last week.

Johnson announced the relaxations at a time when he is under pressure over a raft of parties at the seat of government, Downing Street, during strict corona lockdown rules. However, other European countries such as Austria and France have also launched significant relaxations of Corona restrictions despite high infection rates. They reasoned, among other things, that the now-prevalent omicron variant of the coronavirus causes less severe covid 19 disease than earlier variants.

19.10 a.m.: Nearly 430.000 new infections in France

In France, health authorities register 428.008 new infections within one day. The previous day it was over 501.000 detected cases, nearly half a million for the first time last week. An additional 258 people have now died in hospitals in connection with the coronavirus, he said. This brings the total to 102.344 deaths.

19.05 Clock: Russia offers Sputnik vaccinations for 12- to 17-year-olds

Russian authorities have released the domestically developed Corona vaccine for children and adolescents in more regions. Minors aged 12 to 17 in Volgograd, Astrakhan and Kursk could get vaccinated with Sputnik M, authorities announced Wednesday. In Moscow, where the vaccine was recently released, vaccinations for children and adolescents are expected to begin in the coming days. Sputnik M is a version of the Sputnik V vaccine for children and adolescents. Parents must give consent for children up to 14. From 15, those willing to be vaccinated can decide for themselves, according to the data. Although Russia is the first country in the world to have developed and released its own Corona vaccine, according to official data. However, only about half of the 146 million population is fully vaccinated.

17.55: Von der Leyen condemns anti-Semitic excesses at Corona demos

Ahead of Holocaust Remembrance Day on Thursday, EU Commission President Ursula von der Leyen strongly condemned anti-Semitic excesses. "Anti-Semitism is on the rise again in Europe", she warned in Brussels on Wednesday. This shows in particular since the beginning of the Corona pandemic. "People who march on European streets with the Star of David and compare the pandemic measures to the genocide of the Nazi regime are trivializing the experiences of the victims of the Shoah,", explained the German Commission President. Anti-Semitic conspiracy myths and targeted disinformation would also find widespread use on the Internet. According to a November report by the European Fundamental Rights Agency, in Germany alone, around 44 percent of registered anti-Semitic incidents in the first months of the 2020 pandemic were related to the pandemic. Von der Leyen demanded: "Every European must know the facts and learn about the Holocaust." In October, the Commission had announced, among other things, the establishment of a European research center on new forms of anti-Semitism.

© dpa-image radio/Kay Nietfeld
Image copyright: dpa Bildfunk/Kay Nietfeld

Marco Bushman (FDP), federal minister of justice, speaks during the orientation debate on a SARS-CoV-2 vaccination requirement in the Bundestag.

17.49 a.m.: Bundestag debates compulsory vaccination

The introduction of a general vaccination requirement in the fight against the Corona pandemic is highly controversial in the Bundestag. Opinions of supporters and opponents clashed Wednesday in a first in-depth debate on this socially charged issue. Prominent opponents, such as Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki and Gregor Gysi of the Left Party, said mandatory vaccination would be ineffectual, disproportionate and dangerous to confidence in democracy. Advocates, on the other hand, saw compulsory vaccination as the only way to finally overcome the pandemic. In the passionate but largely factual debate, only the AfD rejected vaccination in general. Even opponents of compulsory vaccination, such as Kubicki, explicitly professed their support for vaccination.

17.24 o’clock: Baden-Wuerttemberg and Hesse drop out of Luca app

Baden-Wurttemberg and Hesse no longer want to use Luca app for contact tracking in future. The contract with the private operator of the software will not be extended beyond the end of March in Baden-Wurttemberg, a spokeswoman for the Ministry of Social Affairs confirmed to the Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Wednesday in Stuttgart. Hesse’s Health Minister Kai Klose (Greens) said in Wiesbaden: "We have weighed up the costs and benefits and have ultimately come to the conclusion that we will not continue the cooperation beyond the end of March 2022." Last year, many restaurant owners and event organizers had used the Luca app to record their visitors’ contacts, as required by law, without having to fill out paperwork. Now people are supposed to use the government-run and free Corona warning app. A hearing in Baden-Wurttemberg revealed that many health authorities consider the Luca app superfluous and too inaccurate. The contracts with 13 German states (all except Saxony, Thuringia and North Rhine-Westphalia) have so far had an annual volume of 20 million euros including VAT. Schleswig-Holstein has also already given notice.

• To the article: End for the Luca app: an end with an announcement

17.5 p.m.: Hundreds of demonstrators in Berlin’s city center on the occasion of vaccination debate in the Bundestag

Hundreds of demonstrators gathered for protests in Berlin’s government district on Wednesday on the occasion of the debate on a possible Corona vaccination requirement in the Bundestag. Around 500 participants first met at the ARD capital studio and then moved on towards the street Unter den Linden, as reported by an AFP reporter. The protesters held placards with inscriptions such as "My body, my decision – no compulsory vaccination" or "Stop vaccination blackmail or "Stop vaccination blackmail" high. According to police, "several hundred people were on the move in the city", who came together in small to medium-sized groups. According to police, a total of "double-digit" provisional arrests were made during the course of the day. By the afternoon, however, only a few people were still out and about, and most of the gatherings had already dispersed.

16.32 p.m.: Falsified vaccination certificate: Ex-coach of Werder Bremen, Markus Anfang, banned for one year

Former Werder Bremen coach Markus Anfang is no longer allowed to work as a coach for the Bundesliga club this season because he had forged a vaccination certificate. The Sports Court of the German Football Association banned him on Wednesday retroactively from 20. November for one year, but will continue that penalty from 10. June until mid-2023 for probation. In addition, he must pay 20.000 euros fine. Anfang had resigned as coach of the second-division club in November 2021 after it became known that he had used a fake vaccination certificate.

16.11 a.m.: German Economics Minister Habeck: Corona aid will be extended if needed

Further Corona aid for companies will be available if needed, according to German Economy Minister Robert Habeck (Bundnis 90/Die Grunen). However, this would depend on the economic situation and the pandemic situation, Habeck said today in Berlin. So far, the bridging aid, which has already been extended several times, is set to run until the end of March 2022.

15.53 p.m.: English study: 99 percent of samples tested trace back to omicron variant

Almost two-thirds (64.6 percent) of all those in England who tested positive for the coronavirus in January said they had previously been infected with the virus. This is according to a study by Imperial College in London. For these were paid between 5. and 20. January 100.000 PCR tests sent to volunteers in England. 3582 people took part in the study.

However, according to epidemiologist Paul Elliott of Imperial College, this does not automatically mean that the infection will recur. Those affected may also have been tested twice for the same infection, he told The Telegraph newspaper. Of about 1400 samples tested, 99 percent were due to infection with the omicron variant. The new study data suggest that the peak of the omicron wave in England occurred around 5. January around was.

© dpa/Patrick Pleul
Image rights: dpa/Patrick Pleul

15.45 o’clock: Demand for inoculations in Bavaria remains restrained after vacation end

The vaccination campaign in Bavaria has barely picked up steam, even after the Christmas vacations in January. In the past week, around 539 people were vaccinated in the Free State of Bavaria.000 people have been vaccinated against the coronavirus – about 5.000 fewer than in the last week of the Christmas vacations in early January, the Ministry of Health in Munich announced Wednesday. By comparison, by mid-December 2021, the number of weekly Corona vaccinations in the Free State had risen to more than 1.1 million. The number of initial vaccinations at that time was more than 100.000, last week only at just under 49.000.

15.3 p.m.: Biontech founders receive state order of merit

Biontech founders ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin were honored today for their outstanding "scientific and entrepreneurial achievements" awarded the Rhineland-Palatinate State Order of Merit. This is what Minister President Malu Dreyer (SPD) said at the award ceremony. With the development of a Corona vaccine, they have "shown the way out of the crisis", Dreyer continued. Tureci and Sahin founded the biotechnology company Biontech in Mainz in 2008. With the State Order of Merit, they received the highest award of the federal state of Rhineland-Palatinate.

15.45 a.m.: Demand for vaccinations in Bavaria remains subdued after vacations end

The vaccination campaign in Bavaria hardly picked up speed in January, even after the Christmas vacations. In the past week, about 539 people in the Free State had been infected.000 people were vaccinated against the coronavirus – around 5.000 fewer than in the last week of the Christmas vacations in early January, the Ministry of Health in Munich announced on Wednesday. By comparison, as of mid-December 2021, the number of weekly Corona vaccinations in the Free State had risen to more than 1.1 million. The number of initial vaccinations at the time was more than 100.000, in the past week only at just under 49.000.

15.3 p.m.: Biontech founders receive state order of merit

Biontech founders ozlem Tureci and Ugur Sahin were honored today for their outstanding "scientific and entrepreneurial achievements" honored with Rhineland-Palatinate Order of Merit. This is what Minister President Malu Dreyer (SPD) said at the award ceremony. With the development of a corona vaccine, they would have "shown the way out of the crisis", Dreyer continued. Tureci and Sahin had founded the biotechnology company Biontech in Mainz in 2008. With the State Order of Merit they received the highest award of the Federal State of Rhineland-Palatinate.

© picture alliance / TT NYHETSBYR?N | Claudio Bresciani/TT
Image copyright: picture alliance / TT NYHETSBYR?N | Claudio Bresciani/TT

Sweden’s Minister of Health Lena Hallengren

© picture alliance / TT NYHETSBYR?N | Claudio Bresciani/TT
Image copyright: picture alliance / TT NYHETSBYR?N | Claudio Bresciani/TT

Sweden’s Minister of Health, Lena Hallengren

13.40: Sweden extends measures by two weeks

Sweden extends current restrictions by two weeks. Background is the rapidly spreading virus variant Omikron, says Health Minister Lena Hallengren. Bars and restaurants must therefore continue to be vaccinated at 23.00 close. A maximum of 500 people may gather in larger event rooms.

13.28 a.m.: PCR capacity now at 2.8 million

PCR testing capacity in Germany has been expanded to 2.8 million per week, according to the Ministry of Health. Last week, the figure of 2.4 million was still stated to be. In addition, the reimbursement for so-called POC-NAT tests, which also have a higher significance than rapid tests, is to be increased, says a spokesman for the ministry. The test regulation, which would prioritize PCR test use for vulnerable groups and personnel such as those in the medical field, should be presented in a timely manner, he said.

• To the article: At the limit of capacity: busy times at Corona test labs

12.46 o’clock: Omicron subtype BA.2 is spreading

A potentially even more easily transmissible omicron subvariant is spreading rapidly in some countries-but many questions remain about subtype BA.2 open. "Because it can be observed in various countries that the proportion of BA.2 is increasing, it is suspected that BA.2 an advantage in transferability over BA.1 has", Sandra Ciesek, director of the Institute of Medical Virology at Frankfurt University Hospital, said in response to a question from the German Press Agency. BA.1 is the omicron subtype currently prevalent in Germany, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

In addition to increased transmissibility, he said, greater immune escape could also lead to more people contracting BA.2 infected, explained Ciesek. Immune escape means that a passed infection or vaccination is less protective against the pathogen. "Very early observations from Denmark suggest that between BA.1 and BA.2 does not seem to make much difference in disease severity", said Ciesek.

In Denmark, BA.2 now responsible for around half of all cases, according to the state health institute SSI. In Germany, BA.1 detected 1568 times in a random sample in the first week of January, according to the RKI’s most recent weekly report. BA.2 emerged 38 times.

• To the article: Omicron variant: this is about the subtype BA.2 known

12.14 o’clock: Economy demands, vaccination obligation control not on companies to shift

In a joint statement, the employers’ association BDA and the industry lobby BDI demand that if there is to be compulsory vaccination, it must be proportionate, comprehensible and practicable. Then it could also meet with broad acceptance. "Legislators should then also clearly regulate control and enforcement as quickly as possible. This must not be passed on to companies." Diligence must go before speed, in order to find a regulation that is legally sound.

11.45 a.m.: Austria ends lockdown for unvaccinated people

In Austria, the lockdown for the unvaccinated will end on Monday. This is what Chancellor Karl Nehammer (oVP) says before the cabinet meeting of the conservative-green federal government. Despite record high new infections, hospital situation is stable, it says. In the coming weeks, according to Health Minister Wolfgang Muckstein (Greens), experts expect new infection numbers to rise to as many as 40.000 cases climb. However, a lockdown for the unvaccinated is no longer seen as a targeted measure, the minister said. However, 2G detection in catering and general trade and the FFP2 mask requirement will remain in place.

11.11 a.m.: Denmark plans to lift all restrictions soon

Despite record case numbers in Denmark, government plans to lift all Corona restrictions next month. He wanted the classification of Covid-19 as a threat to society from 1. February to be cancelled, Health Minister Magnus Heunicke announced in a letter to MPs published Wednesday. This would de facto mean the lifting of national Corona restrictions currently in place, such as a mask requirement and shortened opening hours for establishments.

Heunicke based his plan on the high Corona vaccination rate in Denmark. In Germany’s neighboring country, the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus had spread early, pushing the number of new daily infections to new highs.

• To the article: Denmark’s government to end corona restrictions

10.00 o’clock: Debt report warns of collapse of many countries

In the context of the Corona pandemic, many states’ debt levels have continued to worsen. According to the Debt Report 2022, countries in all regions of the world "will emerge from the pandemic with unsustainable debt levels". Widespread payment suspensions could have been avoided in 2021. But in many cases, this had only been achieved through rigorous austerity measures and new borrowing. Without rapid debt relief, many indebted countries face collapse.

The debt relief alliance Erlassjahr.de and the aid organization Misereor have compiled the report. According to their data, 135 out of 148 countries surveyed in the global south are critically indebted. Compared to the forecast in the 2021 debt report, three countries had thus added. According to the report, 39 countries are particularly critically indebted, more than three times as many as before the pandemic. This includes countries in all income categories and world regions.

08.40 a.m.: New corona cases in Beijing

Nine days before the start of the Winter Olympics, Beijing authorities have recorded 14 new cases of corona. The city has tightened already strict pandemic rules in the country in light of the upcoming Winter Olympics. For example, the administration announced this week that anyone who buys fever and headache medicines, as well as two other drugs, must get tested for Covid-19 within 72 hours. On Wednesday, 24 new locally transmitted cases were reported across China within 24 hours, including the 14 in Beijing. The previous day, there had been five in the capital and 18 nationwide. China’s leadership is pursuing a zero-covid strategy under the maxim of eradicating any outbreak, no matter how small, with lockdowns, mass testing and travel restrictions.

06.35: Over 21 million new infections in one week

The World Health Organization (WHO) still estimates the risk from the highly contagious omicron variant of the coronavirus to be "very high." a. In its weekly report, the WHO said Tuesday evening that more than 21 million new infections have been recorded worldwide in the past seven days, the highest number of weekly cases recorded since the pandemic began.

Overall, however, incidence is "slowing" increased than before. According to the announcement, the number of new cases has increased by five percent – up from 20 percent growth the previous week. The number of weekly deaths remained at 50,000 cases in.000 about the same. Omicron variant remains dominant worldwide, according to the report. The delta variant is "steadily declining", while the alpha, beta and gamma variants are "very low" Circulate. In countries where omicron cases had already risen sharply in November and December, the numbers are now declining, they said.

05.04 am: More than 150.000 new infections in this country

Corona figures continue to rise sharply. For the first time in the Corona pandemic, more than 150 deaths have occurred in a single day.000 new infections have been transmitted to the Robert Koch Institute. Health departments reported 164 as of Wednesday morning, according to the data.000 cases in 24 hours. A week ago there were 112.323 new infections recorded.

Seven-day incidence exceeded the 900 threshold for the first time: the RKI reported the value of new infections per 100.000 inhabitants and week at 940.6, up from 894.3 the previous day and 584.4 the previous week.

Across Germany, 166 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to the new data. A week ago, there were 239 deaths. The number of people who have died from or involving proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 117.126.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI 9.035.795 confirmed infections with Sars-CoV-2 counted, 7 are considered recovered.387.800. The actual total number is likely to be much higher, as many infections are not detected.

Tuesday, 25. January 2022

21.00: Opera director in Regensburg quits over corona rules

At the Regensburg Theater, an opera director has terminated his engagement because he allegedly cannot realize his artistic ideas as desired due to the Corona rules.

Austrian director Johannes Polzgutter resigned from directing a world premiere shortly after rehearsals began, the theater announced only on Tuesday – four days before the scheduled premiere. The reason given by the director was that the original directorial concept was no longer feasible under the tightening Corona rules. Polzgutter should the order opera "We" by Anton Lubchenko to be performed.

According to the theater, opera director Christina Schmidt and director Maximilian Eisenacher have stepped in as stage managers for Polzgutter, who has already staged several productions in Regensburg. The premiere of "We is expected on 29. January will take place.

20.8 p.m.: More than 500.000 new Corona infections in France

France has recorded an all-time high since the start of the pandemic, with more than half a million new Corona infections registered in a single day. As indicated by the French health authority on Tuesday evening, within 24 hours, 501.635 new infections registered. However, levels on Mondays are often significantly lower than on other days of the week.

The already enormously high number of cases in France thus rose once again. The incidence value, that is, the number of infections per 100.000 residents within a week, was recently around 3.726. The omicron variant now accounts for more than 95 percent of cases in the country with its population of just over 67 million people.

20.00 o’clock: Lauterbach speaks in vaccination obligation debate – Scholz not

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach will speak this Wednesday in the Bundestag debate on the Corona vaccination requirement as an SPD member – but Chancellor Olaf Scholz will not. This emerges from the list of speakers on which the SPD parliamentary group agreed on Tuesday. On it stand 12 deputies, including the deputy leaders of the parliamentary group Dagmar Schmidt and Dirk Wiese, who together with parliamentarians from the Greens and the FDP are preparing a motion for compulsory vaccination from 18 years of age.

The federal government had decided not to prepare its own bill, leaving the decision entirely to parliament, which is expected to vote on it before the end of March without factional constraints. Scholz and Lauterbach, however, have spoken out clearly as members of parliament in favor of compulsory vaccination starting at 18.

• To the article: Coronavirus: compulsory vaccination to come in summer

19.30 pm: Netherlands open restaurants and culture

Despite a massive omicron wave, the Netherlands relaxes Corona measures. Restaurants, theaters, museums and cinemas may reopen after more than five weeks from Wednesday – daily until 10 p.m., Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte announced in The Hague this evening. The country is thus taking a clear step back towards normality. A limited number of visitors may again be admitted to sports competitions such as soccer matches.

Restrictions on public life still remain, such as mandatory masks and the Corona Pass, with which visitors must prove that they have been tested, vaccinated or have recovered. Quarantine rules are also being relaxed.

18.00 a.m.: Elton John sick with covid

British pop star Elton John has had to postpone several concerts in the U.S. due to corona disease. "I have infected myself with Covid", wrote the 74-year-old singer on Tuesday on his page on the online platform Instagram. "Fortunately, I am fully vaccinated and boosted and my symptoms are mild."

Two concerts planned for Tuesday and Wednesday in Dallas, Texas, had to be cancelled due to the positive Corona test of the singer of hits like "Rocket Man" and "Your Song to be postponed. "It’s always a huge disappointment to have concerts postponed, and I’m very sorry for everyone this inconveniences", John wrote on Instagram. But he wants to ensure safety for himself and his team.

16.56 o’clock: Court overturns 2G for stores in Baden-Wuerttemberg

Unvaccinated may go shopping in Baden-Wurttemberg for the time being again with a current test. The administrative court in Mannheim overturned the 2G rule for retailers. The freezing of alert level II by the state government’s Corona ordinance is likely to be unlawful, the VGH announced. The 2G rule provided for therein would be suspended with immediate effect. This means that for the time being, in addition to vaccinated and recovered people, people with current tests (3G) will again be allowed to store in stores. The complaint was filed by a woman from the Ortenau district who runs a stationery store. She complained that stationery stores, unlike flower stores, are not counted as basic services. In the latter, the 3G rule applies despite alert level II. This is an unequal treatment.

16.37 o’clock: Corona outbreak in Bamberg slaughterhouse

Cattle temporarily no longer slaughtered there due to Corona outbreak at Bamberg abattoir. Unfortunately, 30 people have currently tested positive, Schlachthof Bamberg GmbH announced. The slaughterhouse is in municipal hands. The cattle slaughter will initially be suspended until 31. January discontinued. The pig slaughter could be maintained, it was said. Over the past two years, there have been repeated major outbreaks in slaughterhouses.

16.33 o’clock: Vaccination obligation: Associations warn of problems in the care

Nursing associations have warned of a collapse in nursing care in light of the planned introduction of mandatory vaccinations for employees of clinics, nursing homes or doctors’ offices in mid-March. "If caregivers are banned from entering after facility-based mandatory vaccination kicks in, nursing care is at risk of collapsing in states hit particularly hard by the pandemic", announced the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services (bpa) and the Association of German elderly and disabled (VDAB) in Berlin. The states must "now quickly take concrete measures to ensure the provision of nursing care over the 15-year period". March 2022 to secure".

16.05 clock: Bavaria drops out of Luca app

Bavaria opts out of Luca app to track contacts in Corona pandemic. The Free State will terminate the contract at 5. April phase out, announced health and digital ministry. In the future, the fight against the Corona pandemic will instead be based on anonymous contact tracing and the further development of the Corona warning app. Other countries are already doing the same or have announced it.

The two ministries cited as a reason the rapid spread of the Omikron variant, which makes it much more difficult for health authorities to individually track contact persons. Contact tracing via Luca app would therefore no longer be indicated. Bavaria had to 6. April 2021 acquired a license for twelve months for the nationwide use of the Luca app.

15.26 o’clock: Around 316.000 vaccinations on Monday

In Germany on Monday about 316.000 vaccinations against the corona virus have been administered. As shown by data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), of these, approximately 28.000 initial vaccinations and around 52.000 second vaccinations. The remainder, according to the report, consisted of 236.000 booster vaccinations. On Monday of last week, around 468.000 doses have been injected; on Monday two weeks ago, there were about 551.000 have been.

14.52 o’clock: Patient protectors to PCR tests: Overview lost

The board of the German Foundation for Patient Protection already sees effects of the planned restrictions on the use of PCR tests. In many cases, citizens and also doctors assume that the regulations already apply – which in turn reduces the officially recorded case numbers for which only PCR tests are taken into account, Managing Director Eugen Brysch told dpa. "Having an overview, we switch off – already now."

The ministers of the federal and state governments had decided to concentrate the use of PCR tests: In the future, they should be used primarily only in people from Corona risk groups and employees who care for and treat them. The exact specifications are currently being worked out.

14.30 o’clock: PCR Corona pool tests for Kitas demanded

Almost 16.000 people in Bavaria are petitioning the state government for the widespread use of high-sensitivity PCR Corona pool tests in daycare centers. The initiator of the campaign, Florian Weber, handed over the collection of signatures in the state parliament to the chairwoman of the social committee, Doris Rauscher (SPD). Children and families are the big losers of the pandemic. For the vast majority of all daycare children, no vaccination has yet been approved, keeping a distance and wearing a mask are not age-appropriate, and air filters continue to be in short supply, he said. "Only regular, highly sensitive PCR testing could prevent an unchecked infection in daycare centers and is therefore the order of the day", Weber emphasized. While PCR pool testing has long been common practice in elementary and special schools, daycare children continue to go empty-handed.

14.08 a.m.: Wage replacement during quarantine only for those who are boostered

Only employees who are booted are now entitled to wage replacement benefits in quarantine in Bavaria. This was explained by the Bavarian Ministry of Health in response to a question from BR. "The most comprehensive protection against Covid 19 disease is provided by a booster vaccination" , according to a ministry spokeswoman. According to the Infection Protection Act, those who are sent into quarantine after coming into contact with an infected person are entitled to such a wage substitute. Employer can stop income for this period. The state steps in for it, but according to law only if he or she could have avoided the quarantine.

However, those affected should be given time to make up for this third vaccination. In individual cases, it must therefore be decided whether the compensation is no longer paid, it said. Those infected with Corona are not affected. He is on sick leave and gets continued payment of wages in case of illness.

13.3 p.m.: Piazolo: 93 percent of school classes in full attendance

Despite the ever-building wave of Omikron infections, classes are currently in full attendance at 93 percent of schools in Bavaria. Due to the constantly changing pandemic, "the assessments are always new", said Minister of Education Michael Piazolo (Free Voters) after a cabinet meeting in Munich. For the remaining seven percent, at least one class is in distance learning, he said. Piazolo emphasized that he still wants to stick to face-to-face instruction.

By the Omikron wave one sees however "altogether higher infection rates". Last week, just under 2.5 percent of students were in quarantine, according to Piazolo’s data. About 1.85 percent of students tested positive – with an upward trend.

13.13 o’clock: Laboratory federation: Each third test positively

In the fifth wave of corona in Germany, the number of weekly PCR tests and the proportion of positive findings have again reached record levels. Last week, about 2.4 million of these reliable tests were performed, the Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM) reported, citing data from about 180 laboratories. Jeder dritte Befund sei positiv gewesen, in der Woche zuvor rund jeder vierte (bei knapp zwei Millionen PCR-Tests). The higher the positive rate in high case numbers, the greater the estimated undercoverage. The utilization of laboratories is 95 percent on average nationwide, they say.

• To the article: At the limit of capacity: busy times in the Corona test labs

13.12 p.m.: EU wants to make travel easier

In the future, a valid EU Corona certificate should be more important for travel in the EU than the infection incidence in the country of departure. EU countries agreed that from 1. February onwards, it should no longer be decisive from where a trip starts – but whether a valid vaccination, test or convalescent certificate is available. The states are thus largely following a proposal presented by the EU Commission two months ago.

In addition to vaccines approved in the EU, the agreement says agents accepted by WHO or national authorities will suffice. A PCR test should be done at least 72 hours before travel, and a rapid test 24 hours before travel. A convalescent certificate should be valid for 180 days. Those who don’t have a certificate should take a test upon arrival. There are exceptions for children.

12.50: Report: Denmark to abolish restrictions soon

The Danish government is targeting an end to all Corona restrictions by the end of the month, according to a media report. Prime Minister Mette Frederiksen is expected to announce this on Wednesday, the Danish daily Jyllands-Posten reports Citing several insiders. Frederiksen’s office declined to comment on the report.

12.45 p.m.: Biontech and Pfizer launch clinical trial of Omikron vaccine

Biontech and Pfizer have begun their first clinical trial to study a Corona vaccine specifically tailored to the Omikron variant. The safety, tolerability and efficacy of the vaccine candidate will be tested, the two companies announced. The study is expected to include up to 1.420 test subjects, who will be divided into three groups.

The first group includes just over 600 participants who were ready to receive two doses of the previous vaccine between 90 and 180 days before the study began and are now scheduled to receive one or two doses of the Omikron vaccine. The second group, almost as large, consists of boosted people who receive another dose of the conventional vaccine or a dose of the Omikron vaccine. The third group of about 200 subjects consists of unvaccinated people who have not yet contracted Covid-19 and will receive three doses of Omikron vaccine.

• To the article: World Medical Association chief: Omicron infects everyone – vaccination protects

12.10 p.m.: Ministry rejects postponement of mandatory vaccination in nursing care

The Ministry of Health rejects the postponement of compulsory vaccination for nursing staff, as demanded by some German states. Omicron surge is far too dynamic to afford, health ministry says. Some countries had called for the facility-based mandatory vaccination in the medical or nursing sector, which is to be introduced from 15. March applies to postpone. Background is concern, especially in eastern Germany, that unvaccinated staff will then quit.

12.15 o’clock: Access rules for offers of the youth work relaxed

After much criticism in recent weeks, the Bavarian cabinet has approved a relaxation of access rules for youth work programs: Underage students who are regularly tested at school will now no longer have to present proof of vaccination or any other test. The eased access rules are to apply from Thursday, according to state chancellery head Florian Herrmann (CSU).

12.2 p.m.: Relaxations for sports and culture

Relaxations for sports and culture: Bavaria allows up to 10 again.000 spectators in the German soccer league and in other professional sports. In addition to this absolute cap, a maximum of 25 percent of spectator capacity may be used. This was agreed by the cabinet in Munich. In addition, twice as many spectators will be allowed at cultural events in the future as before: In theaters, cinemas and other cultural events, a spectator load of up to 50 percent will be allowed again from Thursday – previously it was 25 percent.

11.51 o’clock: Again twelve Corona cases with journey to Olympia

Among those arriving for the Winter Olympics in Beijing, twelve Corona tests have again turned out positive. However, according to organizers in the Chinese capital, these are not athletes or team officials, but other Olympic participants. He said 21 infections had been confirmed by Sunday since the start of the arrival wave, including an unnamed athlete as well as a support staff member from Team Germany. The 12 new positive tests came to light Monday among nearly 250 arrivals at the airport.

11.49 p.m.: Air traffic in Europe declines sharply because of Omikron

In the first weeks of January, air traffic in Europe decreased significantly compared to the previous month, according to the European Organization for the Safety of Air Navigation (Eurocontrol). "Omicron’s impact is all too clear", wrote the organization’s director general, Eamonn Brennan, on Twitter. According to the report, only 70 percent of air traffic was registered compared to the corresponding period in 2019, compared to 78 percent in December. One assumes, however, that this will only be short-lived, it said.

11.40 o’clock: Corona drives people in front of the screen

Since the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, people in Germany spend significantly more time in front of screens than before. According to a representative survey by the digital association Bitkom, the average time spent in front of a screen per person has risen by two hours to ten hours a day. The time spent with a smartphone and the hours spent in front of a computer monitor or television were added together.

11.8 p.m.: In the Bundestag, the six-month period for convalescents continues to apply in part

Despite the shortening of the convalescent status from six to three months for citizens, the old deadline continues to apply in part in the Bundestag. This affected access to the plenary and committees, a spokesman said. This is regulated by the general decree of Bundestag President Barbel Bas (SPD). For access to the workplace, i.e. to the offices of members of parliament, parliamentary groups and the Bundestag administration, on the other hand, the shortened period of 90 days according to the Infection Protection Act would apply. First the "Bild" had reported about it and about a "Corona special right" written that the Bundestag was indulging itself.

10.41 a.m.: Montgomery: "We’re all going to get Covid"

The chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, has once again pointed out the high risk of infection by the Omikron variant of the Corona virus. "My prediction is we’ll all get Covid, sooner or later, including me, although I’m really trying to protect myself. That’s how contagious this omicron variant is right now, and maybe more contagious variants will come after it", Montgomery said. But it is "a huge difference", whether Omikron would meet a triple-vaccinated person or an unvaccinated person or a person who had been vaccinated a long time ago. That is why the vaccination campaign is so important.

10.10 a.m.: Olympic gymnastics champion Csollany dead from Corona

Hungarian Olympic gymnastics champion Szilvester Csollany has died as a result of a corona infection. Hungarian gymnastics federation confirmed 51-year-old’s death in Budapest hospital. The top gymnast was Olympic champion on the rings in Sydney in 2000. Two years later, he won the world title on the same apparatus in Debrecen, Hungary. Earlier in his career, he had won five world championship silver medals and one European championship title.

Last November, Csollany fell ill with Covid-19. In early December, his condition deteriorated to such an extent that he was admitted to a hospital in Budapest. He was in intensive care and connected to an artificial lung.

10.06 o’clock: HSV coach criticizes spectator restriction

Coach Tim Walter of second-division club Hamburger SV has called for more spectators at German soccer stadiums. "I am not a virologist, we stick to everything. Nevertheless, one could open one’s eyes", Walter said in a conversation with several Hamburg media and advised: "Let’s look beyond our own nose, let’s look at England or America. In the NFL are 100.000 spectators." In Hamburg, there are currently a maximum of 2.000 spectators for the games of the professional clubs HSV and FC St. Pauli allowed under corona conditions.

09.25: Israel considers fourth vaccination for adults

An Israeli expert council has recommended a fourth vaccination against the coronavirus for people over 18 years of age. The recommendation applies to adults who received the booster vaccination more than five months ago or who have recovered before that time, the Ministry of Health said.

The decision was made in light of positive results showing three to five times greater protection against severe disease after the fourth dose of vaccine, the statement said. Protection against infection with the coronavirus is two times higher in quadruple vaccinated people than in triple vaccinated people, he said. The recommendation still has to be approved by the director general of the Ministry of Health, Nachman Asch.

In Israel, more than 600,000 people have already received a fourth vaccine dose. Previously, the recommendation applied only to people over 60, the immunocompromised and medical personnel.

The head of a study on the effectiveness of the fourth dose had expressed more skepticism. It does lead to a nice increase in antibodies, but does not adequately protect against the Omikron variant, Professor Gili Regev of Shiba Hospital near Tel Aviv said about a week ago.

Only 63 percent of the 9.4 million Israelis are still considered fully vaccinated. In Israel, this includes twice-vaccinated people up to six months after the second vaccination and people with booster vaccinations. 29 percent of the population have not been vaccinated at all, and for eight percent the validity of the vaccination has expired.

08.04 o’clock: Laboratories warn against too high expectations

Medical laboratories in Germany have warned against high expectations in the agreed expansion of PCR testing capacity. I expect an answer from an acting health minister as to how this is supposed to work," said Michael Muller, chairman of the Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM), to the newspapers of the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland. Capacities could not be expanded overnight at will.

Such a step would require "prompt" action Talks and a "clear statement" about the actual need, Muller continued. Since October, the laboratories have already had additional capacity for 500 new infections.000 PCR tests created.

Due to a shortage of testing capacity in the face of exploding infection figures, the leaders of the federal and state governments had decided at their conference on Monday to prioritize PCR testing. Hospital staff and high-risk patients to get priority for PCR testing.

• To the article "At the capacity limit: Busy times in the Corona test laboratories"

05.3 p.m.: Seven-day incidence now at 894.3

The number of new corona infections continues to rise rapidly. Within one day, the Robert Koch Institute reports 126.955 new cases. That’s significantly more than the previous day and also significantly more than the previous week. Last Tuesday, there were 74.405 infections on the dashboard of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Seven-day incidence also continues to climb from peak to peak. Meanwhile, it has risen to 894.3. The previous day, this figure was 840.3. With this rapid increase, experts assume that more and more cases can no longer be recorded at all. Testing capacities and health authorities are now already at their limits.

According to the new data, within 24 hours there were 214 deaths. A week ago there were 193 deaths. The RKI counted since the beginning of the pandemic 8.871.795 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2, 7.331.200 are considered recovered. The number of people who died from or with the involvement of a confirmed infection with Sars-CoV-2 increased to 116,960.

Monday, 24. January 2022

23.15 o’clock: Again numerous demos of opponents of the Corona policy in Bavaria

On Monday evening, people again took to the streets in numerous Bavarian towns against the current Corona policy. The number of participants was again in the thousands, as the Bavarian police headquarters initially estimated on Monday evening. Counted far more than a hundred gatherings.

The largest demonstration in the Free State took place in Nuremberg, as on previous Mondays. There protested according to police about 4.400 people. There were other larger demos, for example, in Augsburg (around 2.500 participants), Kempten (2.500), Bamberg (2.200), Bayreuth (1.500), Landshut (1.500) and Erding (1.300). In addition, the presidiums reported numerous other protests, some with several hundred participants. For example, the police headquarters Schwaben South / West in Kempten spoke in an initial assessment of a total of about 8.700 participants at 29 gatherings, in Middle Franconia a total of 8.500 participants reported at 33 events.

Once again, there were many unregistered gatherings. Police had to intervene occasionally – for example, at the demonstration in Landshut, there were expulsions and a good 40 administrative offenses. In Munich, opponents of the measures marched from Marienplatz in the direction of Stachus. About a hundred people took part in the unauthorized demonstration. Overall, however, there was talk of predominantly peaceful and incident-free processes. There was counter-protest in some cities, such as Landshut and Bayreuth.

22.30 o’clock: Kahn hopes for end of ghost games

Oliver Kahn of FC Bayern Munich hopes for an end to the ghost games after signals from Prime Minister Markus Soder. Soder announced at the federal-state summit that he would make "adjustments to the Corona measures. I welcome that expressly", said the Bavaria CEO on Monday evening. "We must find sensible solutions for all areas of life, including sport. I very much hope that the Bavarian cabinet will discuss possibilities and opportunities – and make appropriate decisions – at its meeting on Tuesday", so Kahn.

22.3 p.m.: Lauterbach expects loosening after omicron wave

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) expects Corona measures in Germany to be relaxed once the Omicron wave has passed. At the moment one must hope in view of the rising numbers of cases still "that we get along without aggravations", he said after the end of the federal-state consultations on ARD television.

But if the wave is overcome "for example in mid-February", and the infection figures went down again "then the time for relaxations has come".

21.00 a.m.: Soder "Make parity with other federal states"

Following the consultations of the federal and state governments on the current Corona situation, Bavaria’s Minister President Markus Soder announced relaxations for the Free State on BR24 Rundschau. The cabinet will deliberate tomorrow and make some adjustments.

With such a low health burden in hospitals after all, it is no longer proportionate to maintain the current set of rules, says Soder. "One will certainly allow more spectators under 2G plus with mask at culture and sports. We will also facilitate youth work in some places. And we will, by the court decisions given, 2G in the trade omit and take instead the FFP2 mask."

This could be used to send a signal of hope. Bavaria would only "make unison" in this regard With other states where regulations are already looser, said Bavaria’s premier.

• Regarding the article "Loosening in Bavaria: Soder wants to adjust Corona rules's rules'"

19.45 p.m.: Thousands demonstrate for and against Corona measures

In various cities in Germany on Monday evening, several thousand people again demonstrated against a general vaccination obligation and against the Corona measures. In many places, counter-demonstrators also countered with their own events or vigils for the dead of the pandemic.

For weeks, opponents of the Corona measures in particular have been regularly protesting. According to police estimates, on Monday of the previous week, almost 100.000 people. Increasingly, however, counter-protests are now being formed to promote more solidarity.

19.35: Suspension of compulsory attendance at Berlin schools due to new situation

Berlin’s mayor, Franziska Giffey, has justified the suspension of compulsory attendance at the capital’s schools by citing a change in the situation as a result of rising Corona infection figures. "The decision we made (. ) is based on the statement of the public health officers in the health offices that they have a contact tracing in all over 800 schools with over 300 students.000 students will no longer be able to comprehend it in the same way.", said the SPD politician.

However, school operations will be maintained, said Giffey. At the same time, however, some parents were worried and would like to decide for themselves whether or not to send their child to school. That is now from Tuesday uncomplicated possible. "Nevertheless, it is important for us: The schools remain open, the attendance offer is the regular offer also furthermore."

19.3 p.m.: Vaccination target no longer achievable, according to Scholz

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has expressed dissatisfaction with the progress of vaccinations against the coronavirus. The target of 30 million vaccinations between Christmas and the end of January can no longer be met, the SPD politician conceded after consultations with the state premiers. "You have to be realistic, we’re not going to hit that target on the day I would like to see it hit", he said.

19.08 a.m.: Next match cancelled in German ice hockey league

The pandemic has caused the next cancellation of games in the German Ice Hockey League. The Adler Mannheim game against the Krefeld Penguins scheduled for this Tuesday cannot take place due to an "isolation and quarantine order for the entire Adler Mannheim team" not take place. This was announced by the DEL on Monday evening. A make-up date has not yet been set.

19.06 o’clock: Soder wants to allow more spectators

There will be no increased return of spectators to matches in the Bundesliga and other German professional leagues for the time being because of the rising number of Corona infections. In their consultations with the federal government, the state premiers decided that the heads of the state and senate chancelleries would meet by 9. February should at least agree on a uniform regulation for major supraregional events.

For the admission of spectators, there are so far different maximum limits in the states: In Bavaria, Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Thuringia, no fans are currently allowed into the arenas at all.

Prime Minister Markus Soder (CSU) has renewed his pledge for relaxation of sports and cultural events in Bavaria after the federal-state consultations. More spectators will be allowed in both areas, Soder said Monday evening on BR television – in each case under 2G-plus conditions and with masks mandatory. The cabinet wants to decide the details already this Tuesday. Soder left open whether and for which professional leagues this should apply.

• To the article: Relaxations in Bavaria: Soder wants to "adjust" Corona rules

19.05 o’clock: Federation wants to examine extension of Corona economic aid

The federal government wants to examine whether the Corona economic aid and the special arrangements for short-time allowance will be extended beyond March. The resolution paper on the consultations of Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) with the heads of government of the federal states states that there is agreement that a decision must be made promptly on the continuation and design of the aid.

Business associations have called on the German government to make a quick decision on longer corona aid, as well as scaling up support. Following the consultations between the federal and state governments, Hans Peter Wollseifer, president of the skilled trades, emphasized: "Companies need planning security today rather than tomorrow. The foreseeable further pandemic development clearly argues in favor of further extending this support, which secures the livelihood of many craft enterprises."

19.00 h: PCR test capacities to be increased

In view of the rapid increase in corona infections, the limited capacities for PCR testing are to be increased. Every effort must be made to achieve this, according to a resolution passed by the federal and state governments. At the same time, it was stated that it is essential to prioritize when bottlenecks occur.

18.40 New campaign aims to increase vaccination rates

In order to increase the vaccination rate in Germany, the German government wants to promote vaccination protection against the corona virus even more than before, according to Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD). With great effort, the German government has launched a new campaign on vaccination and boosters, Scholz explained after the deliberations of the federal and state governments. In addition to posters with the inscription "Vaccination helps there should now also be increased calls on the radio and on the Internet.

Berlin’s Governing Mayor Franziska Giffey has welcomed the German government’s planned new vaccination campaign. This would also be very helpful for communication in the states, said the SPD politician after federal-state consultations on how to proceed in the Corona pandemic. It is good that about half of Germans are now boostered, he said. However, it was now a matter of further expansion.

18.30 o’clock: "Stay the course!" – Federal and state governments stick to previous Corona measures

Federal and state governments stand by previous protective measures in Corona pandemic. "It is right to continue on this course.", said Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) after consultations with the heads of state governments. So there should continue to be strict contact restrictions "everywhere where many people come together".

At the moment, there is no possibility for relaxations. One must remain unchanged cautious, so the Federal Chancellor. It is still unclear how the pandemic will continue to develop. The necessary decisions will be made as required. "For now, however, it is a matter of staying the course!", said Scholz.

18.20 o’clock: Pandemic acute phase can be terminated this year according to WHO

The acute phase of the Corona pandemic can be ended this year with an international show of force, according to the head of the World Health Organization (WHO). Among other things, this would require closing vaccination gaps in poorer countries and more testing, Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus said at a WHO Executive Board meeting in Geneva.

In Africa, according to Tedros, 85 percent of people have not yet received a vaccination. Only if 70 percent of the population in each country is vaccinated in the coming months can the virus be defeated, he said. In addition, treatment options would need to be improved to reduce mortality. "We can end Covid-19 as a global emergency, and we can do it this year", said Tedros.

Germany’s Development Minister Svenja Schulze (SPD) stressed after talks with Tedros in Geneva that the German government supports the development of vaccine production, especially in Africa, in cooperation with pharmaceutical companies. In contrast, she believes that the temporary suspension of vaccine patents, which has been called for in many cases, would be counterproductive because it could discourage companies from developing new products.

17.05 o’clock: First Corona case in the German Olympic team

First Corona case surrounding German Olympic team: a caregiver tested positive in Zhangjiakou on Sunday. The affected person is symptom-free and is in a quarantine hotel, the German Olympic Sports Confederation (DOSB) announced on Monday. "By consistently following all hygiene measures, so-called close contacts could be avoided", stated the DOSB.

Taking place in Zhangjiakou at the on 4. The competitions in the biathlon, ski jumping and Nordic combined, among others, will take place at the Olympic Winter Games in Beijing, which will begin on February 3. The DOSB sends 148 athletes to China.

16.40 clock: Netherlands to reopen restaurants and culture

Despite massive omicron wave, Netherlands to reopen restaurants, theaters, museums and cinemas. This is what the government decided in The Hague on Monday, according to consistent media reports.

Cafes and restaurants, as well as cultural venues, are to be open again until 22.00 a.m. will be allowed to open, but with restrictions such as mask requirements and proof of vaccination. Prime Minister Mark Rutte to announce decisions Tuesday evening. Audiences are also to be allowed back at sports competitions such as soccer matches.

16.25 o’clock: Belgium recommends fourth vaccination for immunocompromised people

Belgian health ministers have approved a recommendation for a fourth dose of vaccine to protect people with weakened immune systems against the coronavirus. The federal government’s health minister in Brussels, Christie Morreale, said she and her colleagues in the regions had agreed to the health council’s proposal. She did not give a date for the start of vaccinations.

Around 77 percent of Belgium’s nearly 11.5 million inhabitants are currently fully vaccinated. About 6.3 million have received an additional booster dose of a Corona vaccine, according to recent data from health authorities. As of Monday, 2851 people with Covid-19 were being treated in hospitals, including 364 in intensive care units. At least 28 have died in Belgium since the pandemic began.800 people from infection with the coronavirus.

16.3 p.m.: Berlin suspends compulsory attendance at schools

In view of rising Corona infection figures due to the Omikron variant, compulsory attendance at Berlin schools is suspended for the time being. From Tuesday, parents will be able to decide for themselves whether their child attends school or works and learns on assignments and projects at home, Education Senator Astrid-Sabine Busse (SPD) announced Monday. This applies initially until the end of February. Classroom teaching would remain the "standard form", a statement from the education administration added. "Schools will provide learning opportunities to all students as much as possible. If parents decide against the presence of their child at school, it must be immediately inform the school informally in writing."

16.10 a.m.: Italy sees peak of omicron wave reached

Italy appears to have reached the peak of the omicron wave. The head of the Corona crisis unit, Francesco Paolo Figliuolo, announced on Monday a drop in the number of cases caused by the highly contagious viral variant. "There is good news", The general told reporters in Milan. "It seems like we’ve reached the peak of the Omicron curve, and it’s going downhill." More people have been discharged from hospitals than newly admitted in the northern Italian region of Lombardy in recent days, he said. "This bodes well", Figliuolo added. Lombardy had a large proportion of the nearly 144.000 corona deaths recorded in the country. Italy was the first country in Europe to be severely affected by the Corona pandemic in early 2020. The government is cracking down on the coronavirus with strict measures such as mandatory vaccination for over-50s. On Sunday, Italy reported 138.860 new infections and 227 deaths.

15.55 p.m.: WHO chief warns of possible new variants

WHO Director-General Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus has warned of possible new variants of the coronavirus. The conditions for such a development are still ideal, Tedros said Monday at the start of an executive council meeting of the World Health Organization. It is dangerous to assume that Omikron will be the last variant or that the pandemic is virtually over, he said. However, the acute phase of the pandemic could end this year if the WHO target of vaccinating 70 percent of the population in each country by the middle of this year is met. In addition, people at highest risk of corona would need to be vaccinated first, and testing and sequencing rates would need to be improved to more accurately track the virus and its emerging variants.

15.45 a.m.: Corona economic aid to be extended beyond March

Businesses can look forward to Corona economic aid from the state beyond March. "The federal and state governments consider it necessary to extend the scope of aid and special arrangements beyond March 2022", states a new draft resolution for today’s deliberations on the Corona pandemic. So far, drafts have only talked about testing accordingly. "The federal government will begin the necessary testing and preliminary work and will coordinate closely with the states to do so.", it now continues.

15.35: Federal states to adopt tougher measures if necessary

According to a new draft for the Conference of Minister Presidents available to the Reuters news agency, the federal and state governments are committed to imposing stricter Corona measures if necessary. "The development of the omicron wave continues to be closely monitored. If there is a threat of overburdening the health system, they will agree on more far-reaching infection control measures", the paper now states. In the case of large-scale events, the aim is to have a high risk by 9. February, a common position is to be worked out.

15.8 p.m.: One third of Germans rate Corona infection risk as high

Almost a third of people in Germany rate their own risk of corona infection as high. Particularly 40- to 59-year-olds do not believe they can protect themselves from infection, according to the latest Corona Monitor published Monday by the Federal Institute for Risk Assessment (BfR). According to the report, the proportion of those who consider their risk to be high has almost doubled since the start of the fourth wave in October, from 14 percent to 30 percent. As a possible risk of infection is seen above all the proximity to other people. According to the report, 67 percent of respondents rate the probability of contracting the disease through close contact as high. 42 percent of people believe smear infections via door handles pose a high risk. An infection in this way is unlikely, however, because coronaviruses do not remain active for long on dry surfaces.

15.05 clock: Danish flag bearer Nielsen tested positive

Frans Nielsen, professional ice hockey player for the Eisbaren Berlin and designated flag bearer for the Danish Olympic team in Beijing, has tested positive for Corona, as have seven other male and female Danish players. This was announced by the Danish ice hockey association. According to the report, four players on the men’s team and four players on the women’s team are affected. One hopes nevertheless, as many as possible of the infected with to the winter games to Beijing (from 4. February) to be taken, it was said. The women are to leave for the Chinese capital on Thursday, the men next Monday.

14.55 o’clock: Union in the Bundestag demands inoculation register

The CDU/CSU in the Bundestag is calling for the creation of a vaccination registry, regardless of a possible expansion of the Corona vaccination requirement. In order to make the vaccination campaigns better, to get a better overview and to steer the pandemic more purposefully, one cannot get around a vaccination register, said the deputy parliamentary group leader Andrea Lindholz (CSU) on Monday in Berlin. In addition, he said, the issue is the enforcement and control of mandatory vaccination.

14.40 a.m.: England scraps post-entry testing requirement for vaccinated people

There will be one less hurdle for vaccinated entrants to England in the future. Mandatory corona testing, which until now has had to be done after entry, is to be scrapped without replacement, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced on Monday. It was not initially known when the change would take effect. Until now, all holidaymakers and returnees have had to book tests with private, government-certified providers at their own expense and take them by the second day after entry at the latest. Currently, a rapid antigen test is sufficient for this purpose; previously, even a PCR test was required. For the unvaccinated, the requirement will still apply – as will further testing before entry and on day 8, and the requirement for isolation.

14.25: Orchestras see themselves in stable situation despite pandemic

Orchestras also believe they are in a solid position in the Corona pandemic. The number of professional orchestras and their members has remained stable, the managing director of the German Orchestral Association, Gerald Mertens, said Monday in Berlin. There have been no new mergers or dissolutions of orchestras since 2018, he said. According to a survey by the association, there are 129 publicly financed professional orchestras nationwide with 9.749 posts. Prerequisite for a further stable situation in the coming years is "a reliable funding by states and municipalities'". About 80 percent of orchestras have switched to short-time work during phases of the pandemic, according to Mertens. Possible effects on subscription figures cannot yet be quantified, but older audiences in particular are reluctant to return to concert halls. Mertens reported great innovative spirit in the orchestras’ programs.

14.3 p.m.: EMA to decide on Pfizer’s Corona pill before the end of January

According to an insider, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will decide this month whether to approve Pfizer’s anti-corona pill Paxlovid. An assessment is expected to be made by the end of the month, according to a person familiar with the matter. In February, a decision is to be made on the Corona pill from Merck & Co Co, which is less effective than the Corona pill. No comment was initially available from the EMA. The EU authority had declared two weeks ago that it would decide within weeks on the Pfizer pill. In the U.S. and U.K., regulators have already cleared the way for both drugs to be used in certain high-risk adult patients.

13.50 p.m.: Vaccinated persons do not have to undergo a test when entering England

Vaccinated people no longer need test to enter UK. Prime Minister Boris Johnson announces that. He did not say when the rule change would take effect. An announcement with details is expected later Monday.

13.25 o’clock: New PCR test rules planned

The details of the planned prioritization of PCR tests are to be announced "in a timely manner" after the federal after the federal and state consultations in a corresponding regulation. That said a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health on Monday in Berlin. "In any case, we will make every effort to provide reliable and comprehensible information in a very timely manner to accompany the regulation process.", he added. Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the state premiers will discuss the issue this Monday. PCR testing likely to be prioritized in future for people from at-risk groups and employees who care for and treat them, due to high Corona infection numbers and limited laboratory capacity. However, it is still unclear from when this is to apply and how it will be specifically designed. According to the current test regulation, anyone with a positive rapid test – including self-testing – is still entitled to a PCR retest.

13.05 a.m.: PCR testing likely to continue for self-pay patients

Despite prioritization of PCR testing, capacity for self-pay patients will continue in Germany, according to laboratory association. "Prioritization of PCR testing does not mean that there will only be PCR testing for certain groups in the future", says the chairman of the association of accredited laboratories in medicine ALM, Michael Muller, the newspapers of the Funke Mediengruppe. However, those who are not part of the prioritized group may have to be prepared for longer waiting times, for example travelers. He assumes that private test centers will continue to offer PCR tests for self-payers in the future.

12.50: Omicron surge in China may trigger recession and price hike

German industry fears severe consequences for domestic companies and rising inflation if omicron spreads in China. "If the omicron variant also spreads more quickly and easily in China, it could once again become a bottleneck for global supply chains and fuel a recession in certain sectors of German industry", according to the "Global Growth Outlook" published on Monday of the Federation of German Industries (BDI). With the Beijing Olympics starting next week – which could see thousands of foreigners enter the country and bring in the omicron virus – the BDI expects new lockdowns to take place. These could pose new challenges for producers and exporters, as well as companies at the end of supply chains.

12.25 o’clock: RKI registered 63.393 new corona infections – incidence at 840.3

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a significant increase in the seven-day incidence nationwide, again peaking at. The RKI gave the figure for new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week on Monday morning as 840.3. For comparison, the previous day the value was 806.8. One week ago, the nationwide incidence was 528.2 (previous month: 222.7). The health offices in Germany reported to the RKI within one day 63.393 new corona infections. This is shown by figures from the RKI dashboard of 05.00 Play back. A week ago there were 34.145 infections. Across Germany, 28 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to the new data. A week ago, there were 30 deaths. The RKI counted 8 since the beginning of the pandemic.744.840 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2. The actual total is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected. The number of corona patients admitted to hospitals per 100.000 inhabitants within seven days was given by the RKI on Monday with 3.87 (Friday: 3.77). The value will not be reported over the weekend.

12.05 a.m.: German economy to shrink at end of 2021

Last year ended with a damper for the German economy. "Germany’s real gross domestic product (GDP) is expected to have fallen somewhat in the final quarter of 2021", Writes the Bundesbank in its monthly report for January, which was published on Monday. Restrictions in the fight against the renewed Corona wave would have "in some cases significantly weighed on economic activity in the service sector, especially in December". Supply and material shortages also dampened recovery. According to initial estimates, the Federal Statistical Office expects economic output in Europe’s largest economy to have contracted by 0.5 percent to 1.0 percent in the fourth quarter of 2021 compared with the previous quarter. The Wiesbaden-based agency plans to release the first official data on economic development in the final three months of 2021 this Friday (28. January) announce. For 2021 as a whole, the Federal Office had calculated growth of 2.7 percent based on preliminary data for Germany.

11.45 Clock: First Corona case detected in an Olympic team on entry

The first case of Corona has been detected in an Olympic team during entry checks ahead of the Beijing Winter Games. Chinese organizers said Monday that one of the 153 athletes and officials who entered the country had tested positive at Beijing airport the previous day. Three additional Corona cases were identified at other Olympic accredited venues. No more concrete information on the identity of those who tested positive is available from Olympic organizers.

11.25 o’clock: Russia reports record number of new infections

Russia reports more new infections than ever before within one day. There are 65.109 infections have been registered, the government working group reports. The day before there were 63.205. There are also 655 other deaths linked to the virus, he said.

11.10 o’clock: Rummenigge hopes for fan return

Karl-Heinz Rummenigge, the long-serving chairman of Munich’s board of management, would like to see fans return to Bundesliga stadiums quickly. "Soccer without spectators is not soccer. The important element of emotion is missing and emotion can only take place with fans. I therefore wish FC Bayern and German soccer that spectators are allowed back into the stadiums very quickly", said Rummenigge (66) in the BR broadcast "Blickpunkt Sport" on Sunday. In the midst of the Omikron wave with high infection figures, the federal and state governments will discuss further Corona measures on Monday. "I don’t think soccer is privileged," found Rummenigge, who was CEO at FC Bayern from 2002 to 2021. "At the moment, I rather have the impression that soccer is eyed very critically, not only by the public, but also by politicians, because no spectators is not okay."

11.00 a.m.: Passenger numbers in Bavaria down by a good third

The number of passengers in trains and buses has fallen by more than a third in Bavaria in 2020. Bavarian companies carried 910 million passengers, 35.5 percent fewer than before the outbreak of the Corona pandemic, according to the State Office for Statistics in Furth. Buses and trains covered a good quarter fewer kilometers, according to the results of a preliminary evaluation. According to the report, the providers of bus tours have been hit particularly hard. Here, the drop in passengers is a good 80 percent, according to statisticians. Operators of long-distance buses counted about 150.000 passengers, two-thirds fewer than before the pandemic. The State Office for Statistics also recorded a significant decline in the average distances traveled. While the average distance traveled three years ago was almost 200 kilometers, in 2020 it was only 145 kilometers.

10.50: Election of the Bavarian Beer Queen canceled because of Corona

The Bavarian Brewers Association has canceled the election of the Bavarian Beer Queen due to the Corona pandemic. This means that the current beer queen Sarah Jager will remain in office until May 2023, the brewers’ association announced on Monday in Munich. It is hoped that the candidates will have a high-quality event in front of a large audience, said President Georg Schneider. But that is precisely what cannot be guaranteed at the moment. The personal casting with the applicants planned for February could also not take place as planned under the current circumstances. Since 2001, the Bavarian Brewers Association has crowned the Bavarian Beer Queen at a large festive evening. This was for the 19. May 2022 planned. Last May, Sarah Jager from Schwandorf in the Upper Palatinate won the vote.

10.35 o’clock: In France is now valid the vaccination passport for over-16-year-olds

In France, the vaccination passport has been in effect since Monday for people over the age of 16. This means that large areas of public life are now only accessible to vaccinated and recovered people. A negative Corona test is no longer enough to access cafes, restaurants and trains. The French parliament had passed the law in mid-January after two weeks of heated debate. The Council of State, called by the opposition, had declared the law constitutional on Friday. The only thing that was overturned was the provision that the vaccination card can also be requested at election events. Children and young people between the ages of twelve and 15 can still present a negative test to gain access to affected sites and activities. Owners of cafes and restaurants may request a photo ID from the owner if there is any doubt about the authenticity of the vaccination passport. The fine for showing a false passport has increased from 135 euros to 1000 euros. Those with multiple false passports risk five years in prison and a fine of 75.000 euros.

10.20 o’clock: Further Corona cases in the DHB team: Also Wiencek and Ernst infected

The German handball players have three more corona cases to complain about before their sportingly insignificant last European Championship match. Patrick Wiencek and Simon Ernst from national coach Alfred Gislason’s team tested positive for the virus, as did an unnamed member of the delegation who, according to DHB sports director Axel Kromer, was "not on the bench sits. This brought the number of infected German players during the European Championship to 15. Both Wiencek and Ernst were in the squad for the third main round match in Sunday’s 21:25 against runner-up Sweden, only Kiel’s circle runner Wiencek was used by the duo. Subsequent nominations are not planned. The German Handball Federation (DHB) will play its last main round match on Tuesday in Bratislava against Russia. Both teams no longer have a chance of participating in the semifinals in Budapest.

10.05 a.m.: Virologist Stohr calls for relaxation of Corona measures

Virologist Klaus Stohr advocates loosening Corona measures in light of the Omicron variant, with its milder courses of infection. Now we have to look ahead and see what the right measures are – for example, reducing contact tracing, reducing quarantine, adapting the testing strategy, Stohr told the radio station Bayern 2 on Monday. "Understanding that Corona will become like other respiratory diseases, that still needs to get into people’s heads." Much more has happened in other countries than in Germany, said the former head of the global influenza program of the World Health Organization (WHO). Stohr said that he lacked the medical and health background for the fact that children in schools were being tested three times a week without warning. "I also don’t understand why the 2G-plus rule is still in place, which is a slap in the face for those who have been vaccinated."

09.50 a.m.: Olympic organizers relax requirements for corona tests

After heated debate over Corona testing at the Winter Games, Olympic organizers have relaxed the strict rules somewhat. At the heart of the guidelines published by the International Olympic Committee on Monday is the setting of the controversial CT (cycle threshold) value for a positive test at below 35. The lower this value is, the more contagious a person is considered to be. In Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute, a positive result is only present if the CT value is below 30. In China, this value is actually set at 40. Because of the different and partly unclear requirements so far, athletes and officials had expressed the concern that many athletes who tested negative before their departure could test positive after their arrival. The adjustment of the threshold value is likely to be a reaction to this criticism.

09.25 o’clock: Kitas and schools with prioritization include

In view of a possible prioritization of PCR tests for the corona virus, German Family Minister Anne Spiegel (Greens) has urged that priority also be given to kindergartens and schools. On Monday, she told RBB-Inforadio that she believes it is right to prioritize when availability is tight: "Critical infrastructure includes hospitals, but in a next step also daycare centers and schools". These are part of an important system "that must not be allowed to collapse". Spiegel welcomed the fact that testing with the more child-friendly, so-called "lollipop tests" would be used was extended in Berlin. In addition to the vaccination campaign, testing must remain an important component in the pandemic response, he said. Auf die Frage, ob die berufsbezogene Impfpflicht, die im Marz in Kraft treten soll, auch fur Beschaftigte in Schulen und Kitas gelten sollte, sprach sich Spiegel fur eine allgemeine Impfpflicht aus.Since the spread of the omicron variant of the coronavirus, incidence rates in Germany have risen to levels not previously reached in the nearly two years of the pandemic.

08.55 a.m.: Truck drivers in Canada protest Corona vaccination requirement

In Canada, dozens of truck drivers protest against the Corona vaccination requirement, which recently became mandatory when crossing the border into the U.S. On Sunday, the so-called "Convoy for Freedom" started in the city of Vancouver on the Canadian west coast, Canadian media reported. The target is the capital Ottawa, about 4.400 kilometers away. More truckers to join on the road to Ottawa. Protesters plan to arrive on Saturday. The compulsory vaccination for crossing the border was on 15. January in Canada and had been introduced in the U.S. on Saturday. Unvaccinated Canadian truck drivers are required to enter a 14-day quarantine upon return from the U.S., according to the statement; U.S. drivers without vaccinations are not allowed into the country. U.S. threatens permanent lockdown for violators.

08.28 a.m.: Ifo Institute: Fewer Corona deaths than expected

By the end of 2021, 96 since the outbreak of the pandemic.200 more people died than would have been expected under normal circumstances. This is the conclusion reached by Joachim Ragnitz of the Dresden branch of the Ifo Institute. The number of additional deaths attributable to the pandemic is thus lower than previous estimates suggested. It is reportedly about 15 percent smaller than the number of deaths associated with Covid 19 infection recorded by the Robert Koch Institute.

According to Ifo, the figure for so-called excess mortality also takes into account the normal aging process in society, which leads to a higher number of deaths every year.

Corona disease is a deadly risk especially for those over 80, according to the calculations: nearly two-thirds of excess mortality in 2020 and 2021 will be in this age group, the researchers said of their calculations. In the fourth Corona wave, Germany again failed to provide sufficient protection for the older age groups. Ragnitz therefore calls for appropriate measures, such as priority boosting and an increase in the vaccination rate.

06.29: Lockdown lifted in Chinese metropolis

After a month, Xi'an authorities have lifted the lockdown for the 13 million residents of the central Chinese metropolis. According to city officials, the status of the old imperial city, which has been well 2.000 infections had been experienced, downgraded to "low risk" again. Curfews lifted.

Public transportation and cabs have resumed regular service. Residents are also allowed to travel normally again, but each must prove they are safe using the Corona app. Flights and train services to the Shaanxi provincial capital have resumed. Stores and shopping malls also allowed to reopen normally, city government announced.

05.3 p.m.: Incidence continues to rise – to 840.3

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) again reports a significant increase in the seven-day incidence nationwide. Per 100.000 population, the level of new infections has increased to 840.3, from 806.8 the previous day. This means that a new all-time high has been reached. The health authorities in Germany reported to the RKI within a day 63.393 new corona infections.

Across Germany, 28 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to the new data. A week ago, there were 30 deaths. Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI counted 8.744,840 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2. The number of those recovered is estimated at 7.273.100 stated. The number of people who have died from or involving confirmed infection with Sars-CoV-2 has risen to 116.746.

The number of unreported cases remains high. Experts point out that more and more cases cannot be detected, in part because testing capacities and health departments are increasingly at their limits.

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