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The cold season is here and the coronavirus remains an issue. The numbers are comparatively low, but the number of unreported cases could be significantly higher.
Frankfurt – It is obvious to anyone who currently uses public transport: people are coughing and sneezing. Cold season is in full swing. In addition, the coronavirus is in Frankfurt still active. This is shown by the data that the Frankfurt City Health Department shared with our editorial team upon request.
According to them, corona infections have increased slightly since mid-June. The seven-day incidence was recently eight infections per 100,000 inhabitants. In the Frankfurt-Offenbach supply area, the number of inpatients with SARS-CoV-2 has reached a high since spring of 118. Ten infected people were recently in the intensive care unit.
Corona numbers in Frankfurt: Many infections are not recorded
The health department points out that there is a high number of unreported cases of corona infections. Since all restrictions ended in April 2023, priority has been given to testing patients with severe symptoms. The actual number of infections is therefore probably significantly higher than that known to the health department.
The situation in Frankfurt roughly corresponds to the figures at the federal level. According to the Federal Ministry of Health’s infection radar, the seven-day incidence is currently 10.2 laboratory-confirmed cases per 100,000 inhabitants. This value has recently increased. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) points out in its weekly report that this number should also be interpreted with caution. According to estimates by the RKI, based on data from GrippeWeb, the number of infections is around 1,100 people per 100,000 inhabitants.
Allow for further estimates Wastewater samples. According to the Frankfurt Health Department, these also indicate increased numbers since mid-September. According to the RKI, the current cold season is primarily caused by rhinoviruses and other cold viruses typical of the time of year. According to the health department, there is no evidence of an incipient flu wave.
The Corona numbers in Frankfurt have recently increased slightly. © Jens Kalaene/dpa
New variants: STIKO recommends a booster vaccination
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) continues to recommend an annual corona booster vaccination for risk groups, ideally in autumn. According to the RKI, there are adapted vaccines from the manufacturers Pfizer/Biontech, Moderna and Novavax for the current variants. The central Corona variants are currently the KP.3.1.1 of Omikron-Sublini and the recombination XEC. However, the RKI assesses the risk to public health of both variants as low.
