RKI registers peak of over 50,000 new corona infections

style="float: right; margin-bottom: 10px; font-weight: 600;"Thu 11th Nov, 2021

The number of new Corona infections has once again risen sharply, exceeding 50,000 for the first time in the Corona pandemic. Public health departments in Germany reported a peak of 50,196 new Corona infections to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within one day. This is according to figures reflecting the status of the RKI dashboard as of Thursday morning. The previous day, there were 39,676 infections and exactly a week ago the value had been 33,949 infections. Already the value of Wednesday had been high.

The nationwide seven-day incidence also reached a peak again. The RKI reported the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week at 249.1 on Thursday morning. It thus rose to a high for the fourth day in a row. On Wednesday, the figure had been 232.1. By comparison, a week ago the incidence was 154.5, and 66.5 the previous month.

Across Germany, 235 deaths were recorded within 24 hours, according to the new data. A week ago, there were 165 deaths. The RKI counted 4,894,250 confirmed infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the start of the pandemic, but the actual total is likely to be significantly higher because many infections go undetected.The number of corona patients admitted to hospitals per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days - the most important parameter for a possible tightening of corona restrictions - was given by the RKI on Wednesday at 4.61 (Tuesday: 4.31). The indicator must take into account that hospital admissions are sometimes reported with a delay. A nationwide threshold value, from when the situation is to be seen as critical, is not provided for the hospitalization incidence, among other things because of large regional differences. The previous maximum value was around 15.5 around Christmas.

The RKI gave the number of people who recovered as 4,432,600. The number of people who died from or with the involvement of a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 increased to 97,198.An overloading of intensive care units due to the sharp rise in new corona infections can no longer be averted in the view of the German Hospital Association. "The figure of 4,000 occupied covid intensive care beds is practically unavoidable," CEO Gerald Gaß told Editorial Network Germany. As a result, he said, clinics "must now immediately postpone" the operations that can be planned.

In more and more federal states, intensive care units were reaching their limits. This means for "all" hospitals "that they have to limit their services, regardless of the number of covid patients in their own hospital, in order to then also be able to stand in for overburdened clinics." Germany is "in a very critical phase of the pandemic," he said. For hospital staff, the coming weeks and "probably months" will once again be an enormous effort.

Intensive care physician Uwe Janssens told RND he expects the number of Covid patients with vaccine breakthroughs in intensive care units to continue to rise. "Currently, nearly 44 percent of patients over 60 years of age with Covid-19 in intensive care units have a vaccine breakthrough. This has increased significantly and by leaps and bounds," Janssens told RND.

Since older people, in particular, are in intensive care units despite double vaccination, the third vaccination must be pushed "much more pragmatically," Janssens demanded. There needs to be "greater flexibility in boosting." Many physicians send their elderly patients away because they are not yet 70 or older, as the Standing Commission on Vaccination (Stiko) has determined, said Janssens, who is also secretary-general of the German Society for Internal Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DGIIN). He considers this to be a big mistake.

All elderly and also patients with severe chronic concomitant diseases should quickly receive the offer for booster vaccination, said the intensive care physician. However, he said, the six-month interval between receiving a full vaccination should continue to be considered.

The Marburger Bund physicians' association believes mandatory testing is also necessary for the vaccinated and recovered, should the Corona situation not improve with current 2-G rules for vaccinated and recovered people. "2-G needs to become the standard now. If this does not slow down the incidence of infection and the vaccination rate does not increase, 2-G-Plus is the next logical step," association chairwoman Susanne Johna told Editorial Network Germany (RND/Thursday). "2-G-Plus undoubtedly offers even greater security," Johna continued.Referring to the increasingly tense situation in intensive care units due to corona patients, the association head warned, "The only thing we can do now is to prevent further overload scenarios."


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