Germany is paving the way for stricter restrictions on those who have so far chosen not to receive the Covid-19 vaccine to control the highest level of infection since the pandemic began.
On Tuesday, the country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, recorded a seven-day incidence rate of 312 cases per 100,000 people, with several areas exceeding 1,000. A year ago, before the vaccine was introduced, the death rate was 139. The death toll reported on Tuesday was 265, well below the pre-vaccination peak.
Due to the country’s political dilemma, Angela Merkel’s old government operated as a caretaker, and until the new tripartite coalition took office next month, the management of the pandemic seemed to have lost its way.
Less than 70% of the population is vaccinated, which puts Germany far behind other European countries such as Italy, Spain and Portugal.
The spread of the more contagious Delta variant, increased community activities, return to the workplace, and slow promotion of the booster vaccine recommended six months after the second injection are all blamed on the increase in infections.
The rise in health usually associated with colder months has left some hospitals on the verge of overwhelming. Some hospitals have stopped all operations except basic operations to cope with the increasing number of patients.
85% of ICU beds in Saxony are occupied by Covid patients. The state has become the latest state to introduce the so-called 2G rule in all non-essential stores and facilities. This means that only people who can prove that they have been vaccinated or have recovered will be Covid. Entry is allowed. Saxony State Minister of Social Affairs Petra Köpping said that if the incidence continues to rise to the point where hospitals cannot cope with it, additional testing will be needed. 2G is a reference to the German word, indicating that it has been vaccinated and has recovered (Vaccinated with back to normal).
North Rhine Westphalia will follow suit. People who have not been vaccinated are not allowed to enter all non-essential facilities and activities, including football matches and Christmas markets. People who want to participate in carnival activities at the beginning of the season will need to be tested in addition to vaccinations or rehabilitation.
Berlin Mayor Michael Müller said on Tuesday that Berlin is also expected to introduce similar “2G-plus” rules. The city hopes to reopen vaccine centers, which will be closed nationwide at the end of the summer when they are deemed no longer needed, but authorities say this will happen in January or February at the earliest.
2G regulations are similar to those introduced in 2G, but they are not as strict. Austria On Monday, according to the regulations, people over 12 years of age who have not been vaccinated in Upper Austria and Salzburg will be restricted from staying at home for 10 days, except for necessary tasks such as going to school or working, seeing a doctor, buying food, or using exercise.
The police are conducting random checks on individuals and are entitled to impose a fine of 400 euros. The incidence in Austria is approximately 850 cases per 100,000 people.
As the Social Democrats, the Greens and the pro-business FDP entered what they said were the final rounds of negotiations on the formation of a government in Berlin next month, they announced that they had agreed to implement new and stricter coronavirus measures throughout Germany. . These measures include only allowing people to ride buses and trains if they are vaccinated, recovered, or tested negative. It is not clear how this will be implemented on Tuesday.
Another measure specifically promoted by the Green Party is the mandatory vaccination of people in certain areas of work (such as nursing homes or hospitals). The FDP calls for mandatory vaccination in the armed forces. Olaf Scholz of the Social Democratic Party, who may be the future prime minister, said that if a broad consensus is reached, he supports mandatory vaccination. An opinion poll conducted by the polling agency Forsa on Tuesday showed that 53% of Germans support it.
The three parties have stated that they will resist the total blockade and instead support legislation that allows each of the 16 states to impose its own restrictions. The measures introduced in the Bundestag as emergency legislation that give the federal government the power to implement disease control restrictions will expire on November 25. Some people criticize the new government for allowing anything comparable to take its place. This may send a signal that since the pandemic is under control, these measures are no longer needed, which is clearly not the case. Forsa polls show that 60% of Germans oppose the cancellation of these measures.
Leading virologist and coronavirus expert Christian Drosten has warned in recent weeks that vaccines and booster injections alone are not enough to control the spread of the virus, and that social distancing rules must be reintroduced.
Merkel and Schultz are scheduled to hold a video conference with national leaders on Thursday to discuss next steps.
The Austrian Chancellor Alexander Schallenberg stated that the lockdown on the unvaccinated people there has already begun to have an impact. A few days before the lockdown, more than 500,000 people chose to be vaccinated. The Vaccine Center reported that a large number of people were vaccinated. Seek the jab since Monday.
“This is exactly what we want to achieve,” Schellenberg said. His goal is to “persuade those who have not been vaccinated to get vaccinated, not to lock up those who have been vaccinated.” Approximately 65% of Austrians are vaccinated.
In Upper Austria, one of the main hotspots, clinics reported 59 deaths in four days, a record high. There were 93 Covid patients in intensive care beds, and 80 of them were not vaccinated. In general wards, three-quarters of the 513 people treated for coronavirus were not vaccinated.
The Salzburg hospital stated that they were overwhelmed and introduced a classification system to determine which patients should receive intensive care beds.
