Status: 02/16/2021 9:20 p.m.
The concern of a third corona wave has become tangible in Flensburg. The British virus variant B1.1.7 clearly drives the infection process there. A hospital sounds the alarm.
from Peer-Axel Kroeske
The numbers speak for themselves: 173 new corona cases were added in Flensburg last week. The number of reported cases with conspicuous mutations rose by 113. According to the health department, these are only “pre-diagnosed reports” because the detailed sequencing is still pending and apparently takes a long time. But: According to the city, the suspicion of the variant B1.1.7 known from Great Britain has always been confirmed so far.
RKI evaluation: Flensburg is a stronghold of mutations
Also the Evaluation of the RKI from February 10th the so-called ad hoc survey shows more than half of the cases around Flensburg with abnormalities. Everywhere else in Schleswig-Holstein and in most regions of Germany the proportion is below 20 percent.
For Klaus Deitmaring, the managing director of the Malteser St. Franziskus Hospital in Flensburg, it is clear that the infection process in the far north is now determined by the properties of the highly contagious mutation.
Clinic: “Serious Threat” in three to four weeks
Deitmaring reports on four middle-aged patients without previous illnesses with an unexpectedly severe course. The mutation was also found in them. “We are concerned that this will lead to a third wave that will quickly reach us as the Franziskus-Hospital. Our capacities are also limited and we will then no longer be able to keep up,” warns Deitmaring.
The Maltese hospital has mainly taken over the corona treatments in the north of Schleswig-Holstein. At the moment, half of the 15 intensive care beds and 50 places in the isolation ward are occupied by Covid patients.
But the clinic boss is looking ahead: “The mutation will only really be visible in the numbers in three or four weeks.” He speaks of a “considerable threat” to the people of Flensburg.
Infectiologist Rupp: British variant “forgives less”
The displacement of the “normal” coronavirus was to be expected for Flensburg because the replication is more efficient, said the infectiologist Prof. Dr. Jan Rupp, who also advises the state government, NDR Schleswig-Holstein. How big the outbreak will happen and whether there will be a third wave depends crucially on the local measures. In addition, well-known measures such as contact reduction must be implemented consistently, said Rupp.
The British variant is less forgiving, says Rupp: “If contacts take place between people who do not keep their distance or who do not wear mouth and nose protection, there can be a very efficient transmission.” If infected people had contact with people in other circles or in Denmark, the risk of the mutation spreading was higher. According to the Schleswig-Flensburg district bordering on Flensburg, this is already the case there.
Corona incidence is approaching the 200 mark again
Last year, Flensburg was almost consistently at the bottom of the corona statistics. In January the numbers began to rise steadily. One reason was initially a New Year’s Eve meeting of temporary workers. People who visited their families abroad were also infected.
But at the same time, the cases increased throughout the city. When the seven-day incidence first reached 200 at the end of January, relatively few samples were still being tested for mutations. In the meantime the numbers went down. Now they are approaching the critical mark again.
Urgent appeal from the Schleswig-Flensburg district
The discussion about the consequences has only just begun. Due to the high incidence, Flensburg will not open primary schools and daycare centers on Monday – unlike most other districts and cities in the state. Only emergency care is offered. The district administrator of the Schleswig-Flensburg district, Wolfgang Buschmann (independent), appealed to the state on Tuesday to keep the facilities closed in the Flensburg area.
Infectiologist Rupp said that schools in Flensburg may have to be closed longer than in the rest of the country. Good follow-up of contacts is also important.
Garg: Restriction of the range of motion “think carefully”
Further tightening, such as a restriction of the range of motion to 15 kilometers, are not yet planned for Germany’s northernmost city. “You have to think very carefully about how it should be enforced and controlled,” said Health Minister Heiner Garg (FDP). Flensburg is not in a valley from which nobody can get out, said Garg with regard to, for example, many commuter connections to Denmark and the surrounding area. He is “cautiously optimistic that together we will succeed in bringing the infection rate in Flensburg back down to a tolerable level that is in line with the national average.”
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