Status: 05/06/2022 06:37 a.m
The RKI is observing a further relaxation of the corona situation. The number of new infections and the seven-day incidence continue to fall in a weekly comparison. Nevertheless, the experts warn: Vaccination remains important.
Even in view of the recent clear decline in infection rates, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) still sees considerable infection pressure and underlines the benefits of the corona vaccination. In the past week, the seven-day incidence has fallen further compared to the previous one – namely by 19 percent, according to the RKI weekly report. The authors also state that the number of people treated in an intensive care unit with a Covid 19 diagnosis has recently fallen further and that the number of deaths has also fallen.
Vaccination has still “not lost its importance due to its high protective effect against a severe course, even in diseases caused by the omicron variant”. With regard to the vaccination campaign, the experts state that the majority of the vaccinations currently administered are second booster vaccinations.
Probably not all cases covered
In the morning, the RKI gave the seven-day incidence as 553.2. The day before, the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 566.8 (previous week: 758.5 previous month: 1322.2).
However, the incidence does not provide a complete picture of the infection situation. Experts have been assuming for some time that there will be a large number of cases not recorded by the RKI – due to overworked health authorities and because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only these count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to a distortion of individual daily values.
The health authorities in Germany reported 85,073 new corona infections to the RKI (previous week: 101,610 registered infections) and 214 deaths (previous week: also 214) within one day.
In general, the number of registered new infections and deaths varies significantly from weekday to weekday, as more and more federal states do not transmit to the RKI, especially at weekends, and report their cases later in the week. The RKI has counted 25,215,210 detected infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected.
Seasonal effects help
With a view to autumn, the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Committee, Thomas Mertens, pointed out the benefits of the fourth vaccination. “We have to expect that the risk of infection will increase again in autumn,” Mertens told the newspapers of the Funke media group. He called on people over the age of 70 and others at particular risk of severe disease to use the time to improve their protection with a fourth vaccination.
As far as the further course of the pandemic is concerned, the RKI weekly report again points out that the development depends above all on whether large parts of the population behave prudently and considerately and implement the known recommendations for infection protection. “Currently, seasonal effects are also helping to reduce transmission,” the authors write against the background of rising temperatures and increased outdoor activity.