The German Hospital Society (DKG) sounds the alarm and warns that clinics will be overloaded due to the growing number of corona infections. “We have a significant growth in COVID positive patients. Compared to the previous week, employment has increased by 50 percent,” said CEO Gerald Gass of the German publishing network (RND). “We are facing extremely difficult weeks across the board and not just in southern Germany,” he added, referring to the very high number of infections in Munich after Oktoberfest.
In this context, Gass mentioned the necessary isolation measures and higher personnel costs for patients who tested positive. The rooms might not be that densely occupied. Additionally, there are “high failure rates” among employees due to their own infections.
COVID-19 ward in the Stuttgart clinic
This Wednesday, 1,651 patients with COVID-19 infection were registered in the intensive care units of hospitals in Germany. This is the highest level since mid-April this year. At the same time, the number of free intensive care beds reported by the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (DIVI) is only 2430.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 136,748 new confirmed infections on Wednesday. The seven-day incidence rose to 799.9 (previous week 414.0; September: 216). RKI also recorded 199 more deaths related to the virus, a significant increase from the previous week. However, the figures should be treated with caution. The health authorities of the federal Länder do not report all cases systematically and completely. Furthermore, many infected people now refrain from doing a PCR test and therefore are not registered.
Masks back home soon?
In the early federal states, stricter measures are being considered in view of the growing number of corona infections. In Berlin, for example, the obligation to wear masks in shops, museums and other public buildings may soon be reintroduced.
Will similar signals be reviewed soon in Berlin? Here in front of the Brandenburg Gate
Approval came from neighboring Brandenburg. “I think that a moderate expansion of the mask requirement into publicly accessible indoor spaces, as Berlin is now considering, is a suitable means,” said Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher (Verdi) in Potsdam.
Saarland has the highest incidence of seven days
In the Saarland – with nearly a million inhabitants and the highest seven-day incidence in Germany since 1700 on Tuesday – Health Minister Magnus Jung urged people to put on face masks inside again. He also appealed to the population to reduce contacts. A reduction in contacts of around 20% could help keep the crown’s situation in a “manageable area,” Jung said in Saarbrücken.
WHO regional director Hans Kluge fears a double burden from coronary and flu infections
Leading international health experts warn of an expected double burden of coronary and flu infections. European Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides, WHO Regional Director Hans Kluge and EU Health Authority ECDC Director Andrea Ammon have announced that unfortunately there are signs that a new wave of corona infections has begun in Europe. With the flu expected resurgence in the fall and winter, hospitals and health services are more likely to come under pressure again after three grueling years on the pandemic front, they said in a joint statement. Vaccinations are still one of the most effective tools against corona and influenza viruses.
se / kle (dpa, rtr, epd)
