News about the corona pandemic: Karl Lauterbach warns of “catastrophic” developments

News about Corona from July 22, 2022

Lauterbach calls booster rejection by medical officials “problematic”

Sunday, July 24, 9:25 a.m.: Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) was annoyed by statements made by the head of statutory health insurance doctors, Andreas Gassen, about the corona vaccination. “I think it’s problematic if the impression is given that vaccination for older people in the fall isn’t necessary,” Lauterbach told the editorial network Germany (RND) in New York. At least for those over 60, it is undisputed that the booster injection is important “to prevent serious illnesses or even deaths”. He expects a medical official to “make that clear”. The 60-year-old chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, on the other hand, said in an interview that he saw no need for a booster vaccination: “In any case, I will not have a second booster.”

At the same time, Lauterbach rejected criticism from Gassen of the extensive ordering of vaccine doses by the federal government. Gassen had predicted that vaccines worth up to 100 million euros would have to be thrown away because of inflated estimates.

“Apparently Mr. Gassen already knows which vaccine is needed and preferred in the fall,” countered Lauterbach ironically. In fact, this is not known. That’s why the government ordered several vaccines in parallel: “We bought in such a way that we can definitely offer everyone the vaccine that will be the best,” said Lauterbach. “That’s right,” affirmed the SPD politician: “Nobody can be expected to say: We don’t have the most effective vaccine, but let yourself be vaccinated anyway!”

Lauterbach: “Advise older people not to wait for a new vaccine”

09.45 am: With regard to a second booster vaccination, Karl Lauterbach warns not to wait for an adapted vaccine for new virus variants, but to use the current possibilities at an early stage. If people over the age of 60 are waiting for an adapted vaccine, it could be too late, emphasizes the Federal Minister of Health: “If those who are older and actually need a second booster vaccination are waiting until a new vaccine is available, it may be too late “, so Lauterbach in the “RTL Nachtjournal”.

New study results from the USA would prove insistently that a second booster vaccination reduces mortality. “That’s why I advise every older person not to wait for the new vaccine, but rather to take the vaccine now, then you are safe,” Lauterbach sums up. The adapted vaccines would probably “come in September, October” and help determine the “strategy of vaccination in late autumn”.

Lauterbach warns of “catastrophic” corona development

07.05: Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warns of a “catastrophic” corona development if no suitable measures to combat the virus are decided before autumn. “If we went into autumn like we are now, without further protective measures, without masks, without anything, then that would mean that the number of cases would rise sharply, but the intensive care units would also be overloaded,” said the SPD politician on Thursday ( local time) during a visit to the US capital Washington by the German Press Agency. At the same time, staff in the clinics would also be absent. “It’s like a candle that burns at both ends,” says Lauterbach. The staff burn away downstairs and the patients upstairs.

Lauterbach emphasized: “We need measures, that’s clear. But that is not in dispute either, we will be prepared. ”He did not want to go into possible measures, there are confidential negotiations, for example with the FDP-led Ministry of Justice. The current measures expired on September 23, by then the government would have decided on new ones, said Lauterbach. With a view to the second booster vaccination, he warned: “The elderly cannot take the risk of waiting for an adapted vaccine, which will come sometime in September or October, given the high number of cases that we now have.”

During his visit to the United States, Lauterbach exchanged views with US partners on the fight against the corona virus and preparation for future pandemics, among other things. For example, he met the immunologist and pandemic advisor to the US President, Anthony Fauci. On Friday he wants to give a speech at the elite Harvard University and visit a production facility of the vaccine manufacturer Moderna in Norwood, Massachusetts.

107,819 new corona cases in Germany – incidence at 729.3

Friday, July 22, 05:05: The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Friday morning as 729.3. This is evident from numbers that reflect the status of the RKI dashboard at 5 a.m. The day before, the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week was 740.3 (previous week: 719.2; previous month: 488.7).

However, this information only provides a very incomplete picture of the number of infections: For some time now, experts have been assuming that there is a high number of cases not recorded by the RKI – mainly because by far not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only positive PCR tests count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to the distortion of individual daily values.

The health authorities in Germany recently reported 107,819 new corona infections (previous week: 109,694) and 113 deaths (previous week: 115) to the RKI within one day. Here, too, comparisons of the data are only possible to a limited extent due to the test behavior, late registrations and transmission problems. In general, the number of registered new infections and deaths varies significantly from weekday to weekday, since many federal states do not transmit them to the RKI, especially at weekends, and report their cases later in the week.

Communication on corona vaccinations should be better coordinated

1:07 p.m.: In view of criticism of inconsistent statements, communication on corona vaccinations should be better coordinated. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, agreed to set up a pandemic working group within the Stiko, as both sides announced on Thursday.

This should ensure continuous communication with the ministry as early as the phase of discussion and advice on a new vaccination recommendation. Announcements on vaccinations and vaccination recommendations for Covid-19 were then made “in coordination with the Pandemic Working Group”. At the same time, the independence of the Stiko remains unaffected.

There had been repeated criticism due to sometimes contradictory public statements, most recently in connection with fourth vaccinations. Lauterbach advised second booster vaccinations after consulting the doctor on a broader front – not only for older people from 60 or 70 years. Mertens opposed broad four vaccinations for younger people too. So far, the Stiko only recommends them from the age of 70 and for certain risk groups. The body had repeatedly been criticized for acting too slowly in the acute crisis.

Read older news about the corona pandemic on the next pages.

–

al, ter, beb, pnh, rob, as, pzk, sh, mpl, lho, luk, pip, mos, cba, lsc / mit Agenturmaterial