Cologne –
Despite the falling number of infections, they are not yet thinking about easing the corona rules. Rather, it is about how the incidence number can be reduced well below a value of 50. Mayor Henriette Reker announced this on Wednesday at a press conference in the town hall. The situation in Cologne is tending to be positive, but the way out of the pandemic is still tough.
Last Friday, Reker had therefore invited to an expert conference in which 99 experts from different areas took part. The aim was to critically review the currently applicable measures and the city’s approach. The result was that the current approach in Cologne was basically on the right track. Nevertheless, further measures are required “in order to achieve the long-term goal of an incidence well below 50,” said Reker.
Expansion of the mask requirement and more tests
The mask requirement in public spaces is to be expanded again, this time in front of schools. Up until now, only students and teachers had to wear masks within a 150-meter radius of the building, but this has not yet applied to all other passers-by on streets without a mask. In the next general decree, however, this rule is to be made mandatory for all persons.
In addition, the city wants to use even more tests to identify people who have been infected with the corona virus. This applies above all to areas where many come together for long periods of time, such as religious or professional meetings. Specifically, before the next council meeting, which will not take place in the town hall but in the Gürzenich on Thursday due to the corona, all participants should be subjected to a quick test. This applies to the employees of the administration, the groups and parliamentary groups, said Reker. “I hope that everyone will meet with a reduced number of participants,” said Reker.
However, the meeting cannot yet run completely digitally. The quick tests do not provide absolute certainty, according to Reker, but “super spreaders can be fished out” – and necessary contacts are “defused”. So far, the city has mainly relied on the significantly more reliable PCR tests for the detection of infections. More than 700,000 cuts have now been made across the city.
Rapid tests are extremely error-prone, especially in people with no symptoms with a low viral load. Most recently, it became known that rapid tests among employees of the prison in Ossendorf had false positive results a dozen times.
Alcohol ban at carnival
Between Weiberfastnacht and Violet Tuesday. February 11th to 16th, the consumption and sale of alcoholic beverages will be prohibited at various hotspots. According to Reker, this is certain, even if such a decision has not yet been made by the crisis team. The ban should apply in certain periods of time – when and where, according to reports, will be decided by the crisis team on Friday.
Free taxi rides
The city’s crisis team has decided that people older than 70 can also get a free taxi ride to the vaccination center and back. Requirements: You must have care level one or two, receive basic security or be a Cologne Pass holder. According to Reker, the city is currently in talks with the taxi company about details.
Source of infection
Most people are still infected with the coronavirus through social contact. Mainly in your own household or through visits to the family. The second source of infection is work, as not all people have the opportunity to work from home.
Johannes Nießen, head of the Cologne health department, explains the distribution of the sources of infection.
–
–
However, in many cases the source of the infection is still unknown. Nevertheless, Reker emphasized on Wednesday that the contact tracking has been going well for weeks and that both people who test positive and the associated contact persons can be informed within 24 hours.
Mutations
So far, 166 infections with a virus mutation have been detected in Cologne – 114 with the British variant, 52 with the South African variant. Here, too, the main sources of infection are social contacts, mainly in one’s own family. 57 percent of the people who were infected with the British variant were infected through social contacts – 37 percent of them in their own household.
With the South African variant, the numbers look a little different: In 58 percent of infected people, the source of the infection is unknown. This is due to the outbreak in the refugee accommodation on Herkulesstrasse. “Different families had different entries there because they weren’t really in contact with each other. That’s why we’re still looking there, ”said Nießen. The South African virus variant was detected in eleven employees and 31 residents in the collective accommodation. Therefore, the entire property is still under quarantine until February 10th.
Astrazeneca vaccine
From next Wednesday, the vaccine from Astrazeneca will also be available in North Rhine-Westphalia – initially 130,000 vaccine doses. How many of them come to Cologne is unclear. Johannes Nießen, head of the Cologne health department, assumes that it will be around 7,000 to 7,500 doses. Since the Standing Vaccination Commission recommends that the vaccine should only be used in younger people – up to 64 years of age – it is initially used in prioritized professional groups. These include outpatient nurses and the rescue service.
In the Cologne vaccination center, there is to be a second vaccination line next to the vaccination line for the Biontech vaccine, which is initially used by people over the age of 80. The appointments for the latter are not taken over by the North Rhine Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, but by the city itself. Whether the approval of the vaccine from Astrazeneca will generally change anything in the future vaccination sequence and people under 65 years of age can be vaccinated earlier remains to be seen not clear. “First of all, the people from the prioritized professional groups are vaccinated. Should we get even more of the Astrazeneca vaccine in the future, we will think ahead, ”says Nießen.
Herd immunity until the end of September
At the expert conference last Friday, a working group dealt with the subject of “vaccination strategy”. It emerged that herd immunity, for which around 70 percent of Cologne residents have to be vaccinated, could be achieved on September 21. However, provided that, firstly, sufficient vaccine is available and, secondly, 8,000 people are vaccinated every day.
The current capacity of the vaccination center would not be sufficient for the latter, as only 5000 people can be vaccinated here per day. However, the area of the center in the fair could be expanded if necessary, says Christian Miller, head of Cologne’s professional fire service. “We have to adapt the capacities to what is possible.” The evaluation of the working group has shown that with more than 5000 vaccinations a day, a possible third wave could be prevented. “This shows that vaccination is a very powerful weapon in the fight against Corona,” said Miller.
– .
