Germany: Hospitals Experience Issues in the Forgotten Corona Pandemic

Considering it is summer, Germany’s Corona infection numbers are extremely high, but only few Germans seem to care. Many ignore the risk right now, whil hospitals are trying to deal with problems.

Berlin, July 10th, 2022 (The Berlin Spectator) — Considering the problems the Corona pandemic is causing even now, in the middle of the summer, the unconcern many Germans are showing might not be the right approach. In Berlin, too many residents and visitors do not adhere to the mandatory mask rule in public transport. Tens of thousands gathered on the streets of the capital for a giant techno party on Saturday. Hardly anyone was protected.

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Hospitals Feel Increase

Sure, the longing for normality after two and a half years of Corona is understandable. But the pandemic is still not over. First of all, the infection numbers are on the rise, in spite of the fact that most events in Germany take place outdoors during the ongoing warm season. On Saturday, the country’s Seven Day Incidence exceeded 700. Today, it decreased a little, but only because no new Coronavirus infections are being reported on weekends.

At this stage, 50 percent of all PCR tests conducted in Germany turn out positive. Experts are sure the actual number of Corona infections is a lot higher than the official statistics suggest. One indicator for this assumption is the fact that the hospitals feel an increase. The number of Corona patients in intensive care is above 1,000, meaning it is twice as high as it was last summer. This aspect alone is concerning, but there is another problem.

ICUs in Restricted Mode

Of course, the rising infection numbers also affect doctors, nurses and other hospital employees. Some German-language publications quoted Gernot Marx, the President of Germany’s Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care Medicine. He said more than half of Germany’s 736 ICUs were in restricted mode right now, also because of the high number of sick leaves among hospital staffers, due to Corona. If this is what the summer looks like, what will the situation be in summer?

BA.5, a subtype of a Corona variant known as Omicron is being blamed for the increasing number of infections. Existing vaccines do not protect people from getting infected with BA.5, but they decrease the danger of severe disease progression and death. “Adjusted vaccines” that provide more protection are supposed to be available later this year. Still, the authorities are asking unvaccinated persons to get their shots now. Germany’s vaccination campaign is stalling. In winter, up to 1.5 million people were immunized per day. By now, this number has decreased to 19,000.

No New Cases

Today, no new Coronavirus infections or Corona-related deaths were added to the statistics, but only because there is no reporting on weekends anymore. In the past weeks, the Robert Koch Institute has been reporting 90,000 to 140,000 new cases per day.

Looking for daily Corona updates for Germany? Find them here.
ALL CORONA CHRONOLOGIES:
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2022
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2021
Corona Chronology for Germany, 2020

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