Germany: 32,195 New Corona Infections, No ICU Beds Left in 27 Cities and Counties

In Germany, improvement has still not been registered. There are 32,195 new Corona cases, and the situation in many hospitals does not look good either.

Berlin, December 24th, 2020 (The Berlin Spectator) — Germany’s Corona numbers are not improving. The Robert Koch Institute in Berlin reported 32,195 new Corona infections and 802 Corona-related deaths within 24 hours. The total number of Corona infection cases since the crisis began was 1,587,115.

Counties Out of ICU Beds

While the Seven Day Incidence Number for all of Germany stood at 196.2 on Thursday, Saxony’s Incidence Number was more than twice as high. It stood at 425.7. In Berlin, the Incidence Number rose to 227.9. Reinickendorf remains the German capital’s worst Corona hotspot, with a value of more than 300. Berlin’s hospitals now have 1,649 Corona patients.

The Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Car Medicine listed 27 counties and cities in Germany in which no intensive care beds are left. There are eleven of those in Bavaria, including Augsburg, five in Thuringia, including Gera, and four in the state of Hesse, where Offenbach is among the cities which have to send ICU patients to hospitals in other counties.

Danger of Third Wave

The head of Germany’s Association of Intensive Care Physicians, Uwe Janssens, told the ‘Rheinische Post’ daily family visits during Christmas could lead to a third Corona wave in January. According to him, only maximal contact restrictions can prevent it. Janssens asked people to refrain from visiting “grandma and grandad” and to stay at home.

Staying at home is what thousands of Corona deniers need to do, since Berlin just forbade their next protest. Originally, a rally against the state’s protective measures with 22,500 participants was planned for New Year’s Eve, but no protests are allowed that day. So, the organizers moved it to December 30th. On Wednesday, the Berlin Senate forbade the demonstration. It is unclear whether all Corona deniers will accept the decision.

Police Busier Around New Year’s Eve

In this situation, this gathering would have led to a direct endangerment of public safety and order, the Berlin Police Department said. This year, the police had to deal with many protests staged by Corona deniers and Nazis who became part of several of those. Right now, in this worrisome Corona situation, any gatherings, even small ones, are simply too dangerous.

On top of it all, the police will be even busier around New Year’s Eve than they already are in this crisis. This has to do with the fact that the contact restrictions have to be enforced. The same applies to firecracker and fireworks bans at 56 spots in the German capital.