Category: World News

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the variant BA.2 of Omicron, which can be transmitted even more quickly, has increased noticeably in Germany, according to initial findings. The proportion of Corona cases examined in a random sample has recently risen to 14.9 percent, the RKI stated in its weekly report on Thursday evening. This figure refers to the week ending Feb. 6 – for the week before, the RKI gives the proportion at 10.4 percent. Although there is not yet sufficient data to assess the characteristics of the subtype…

Read More

New Corona infections and seven-day incidence in Germany decline slightly, but levels remain high. One day after the Corona opening decisions by the federal and state governments, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 235,626 new cases within 24 hours on Thursday. That’s 12,236 fewer cases than a week ago Thursday when 247,862 new infections were reported. The national seven-day incidence rate dropped to 1385.1 from 1401.0 the previous day. It indicates how many people are infected per 100,000 population in a week. Two hundred sixty-one more people died in connection…

Read More

Data from Israel suggest a slight additional benefit of the fourth dose of vaccine in protecting against Omicron infection. The fourth dose of an mRNA vaccine restored antibody levels among healthcare workers similar to those seen shortly after the booster. Still, breakthrough infections were expected, according to a paper not yet reviewed by external experts. The effectiveness of the fourth dose in terms of protection against infection with the Omicron variant is reported by researchers to be 11 percent (Moderna) to 30 percent (Biontech) compared to triple vaccinated individuals. Because…

Read More

From March 20, according to the will of Germany’s federal and state governments, a large part of the Corona restrictions will no longer apply. German Chancellor Olaf Scholz spoke of an “exceptional day” in the pandemic. The peak of the Omicron wave has now been reached. With the measures taken by the federal and state governments, he said, health and life have been protected, and a lockdown has been prevented. The German step-by-step plan is to drop contact restrictions for vaccinated and convalescents and 2G rules in retail. Then, on…

Read More

The British province of Northern Ireland today lifted all remaining CoV measures. According to Northern Ireland Health Minister Robin Swann, no vaccination or testing certificates will be required for significant events from Feb. 15, and the mask requirement will be primarily lifted. In doing so, the province is following the line of the UK’s largest country, England, where almost all Corona measures have already been lifted. Wales and Scotland, meanwhile, have also relaxed as CoV case numbers have been falling for weeks. Elections in early May The regional government in…

Read More

The German Robert Koch Institute (RKI) warns of a new Corona wave in the fall. “The endemic stage has not yet been reached,” report “Welt” and “Süddeutsche Zeitung,” citing an internal assessment of the situation by the institute. In the fall, a new Corona wave is “to be firmly expected.” Corona figures could then rise again in the fall. The burden on intensive care units depends on various factors, such as the proportion of unimmunized people over 50, the transmissibility of the variant then circulating, the availability and effectiveness of…

Read More

The German government’s CoV expert panel believes easing measures are possible in the coming weeks but warns against withdrawing too soon. “Opening too early carries the risk of a renewed increase in the burden of disease,” the expert panel’s sixth statement, released yesterday evening, said. “Subvariant BA.2 must be expected to result in a prolonged or rebounding omicron wave compared to current estimates for BA.1.” Nevertheless, the expert panel unanimously concludes that “despite some uncertainties (…) a prudent withdrawal of individual infection control measures will be possible in the coming…

Read More

Despite rising coronavirus infection numbers linked to the spread of the Omicron variant, Norway has also lifted its last pandemic protective measures. At a press conference today, Prime Minister Jonas Gahr Store said both standoff rules and mandatory masks in crowded rooms have ended. “Now we can go out among people as before, in nightlife, cultural events or other social occasions,” Gahr Store said. Even on the “way to work in buses, trains, and ferries,” no special rules apply anymore. Anyone who tests positive for the coronavirus in Norway no…

Read More

EU health ministers say the pandemic threat has not yet been averted. “It is too early to consider the pandemic like an endemic,” French Health Minister Olivier Veran said today after a meeting with his colleagues in Grenoble. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides also said the pandemic is not over. The pandemic has shown that there are “many twists and turns,” Kyriakides said. “We look to the future with optimism, but at the same time, we remain realistic and must be prepared to face variants,” the EU commissioner said. She…

Read More