Do not yet know whether vaccinated people are immune

Berlin. The corona situation in Germany seems to be gradually relaxing. The number of new infections has decreased visibly since mid -January. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had registered 14,022 new cases by Friday morning-around 3800 cases less than last week. There is also a decline in nationwide incidence of seven days. On Thursday, it was under the threshold of 100 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants for the first time since the end of October.

More and more cases with new Corona variants

"We are currently seeing a positive trend," said Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) on Friday at the Federal Press Conference in Berlin. "But that's not enough. We want to keep the numbers low." The reduction in the number of cases is also important with regard to the new Coronavirus variants that are spreading. With high incidence, the mutation risk is greater.

According to RKI President Lothar Wieler, "more and more cases and outbreaks" are now being reported to the new virus variants, the properties of which are still largely unknown. For example, it is still unclear whether the variants are more dangerous than the wild type of Sars-Cov-2. And: "We don't yet know whether vaccinated people are also immune to the new variants," said Wieler.

The EMA today decides on the approval of the AstraZeneca vaccine

2.2 percent of the German population have so far received vaccination. The aim is to be able to offer a vaccination offer of everyone over 80 years old in the first quarter, said Federal Minister of Health Spahn. He also announced the approval of the Corona vaccine Astraza for today. The European Medicines Agency EMA discusses the vector vaccine that was first approved in Great Britain during these hours.

It remains to be seen whether the AstraZeneca vaccine is approved by the EMA for all age groups. The permanent vaccination commission (STIKO) had only recommended the vaccine on Thursday for people between the ages of 18 and 64. The reason for the restriction is that there is still "inadequate data" to assess the effectiveness of the vaccine from 65 years.

Spahn: "There are still a few tough weeks ahead of us in which the vaccine is scarce."

So far, the mRNA vaccines from Biontech and Pfizer as well as Moderna have been approved in Europe. According to the Federal Minister of Health Spahn, the federal states have now received more than 3.5 million vaccine doses. Of these, 2.2 million cans were vaccinated - around 400,000 of which were secondary vaccinations.

"The start of the vaccination campaign was difficult," Spahn admitted. In the first quarter he expects Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna around twelve million vaccine doses. If the astrazeneca vaccine is approved, another three million cans would be available. But Spahn made it clear: "There are still a few more hard weeks ahead of us."

Paul Ehrlich Institut: Corona vaccines are well tolerated

Marynn Addo, head of the Department of Infectious Diseases at the University Hospital Hamburg-Eppendorf, described the Corona vaccines as a great scientific success. Whether the vaccine also protects against the newly occurring corona variants is currently being examined very actively. Earlier Preprint studies at least suggest that the vaccines are effective against the mutants. Otherwise, the mRNA technology offers the opportunity to adjust the vaccine again. "Overall, I think we are very well positioned," said Addo.

There are no serious concerns about compatibility, said Klaus Cichutek, President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, at the Federal Press Conference. The reactions to the vaccines observed so far were usually slight to moderate. "All in all, we are dealing with vaccines that are very well tolerated by millions of people," Cichutek made it clear.

Wieler: Coronary measures consistently implement

The current contact restrictions remain another weapon against the virus variants. "The measures help against all variants," said RKI boss Wieler. Therefore, the Corona rules would have to be consistently observed by mid-February. He himself is a supporter of the no-covid strategy developed by several scientists, which strives for a seven-day incidence of ten new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in Germany

On the other hand, the British Coronavirus variant B.1.1.7 is spreading further in Germany, which, according to the previous level of knowledge, is more contagious than the wild type of Sars-Cov-2, it could lead to an exponential increase in the number of cases. "The intensive care units would currently not be able to cope with a new strong increase in the number of cases," warned Wieler - and appealed to the population: "We are on the right track and have to consistently continue this path."