For people who have been vaccinated twice and those who have recovered, the risk of infection is now viewed as “high”, the RKI announced on Twitter on Monday. For unvaccinated people it remains “very high”. For those vaccinated with a booster, however, the institute assesses the risk as moderate. Overall, the health risk to the population is assessed as “very high”, writes the institute in its revised risk assessment. It warns of a sudden increase in the number of cases.
“The reason for this is the occurrence and rapid spread of the omicron variant, which according to the current state of knowledge (from other countries) is spreading significantly faster and more effectively than the previous virus variants,” writes the RKI. The current development is “very worrying”. If Omikron continues to spread, it is to be feared that serious illnesses and deaths will increase and that the intensive care treatment capacities available throughout Germany will be exceeded.
The epidemiologist Hajo Zeeb also warned of the force of a possible omicron wave. “The number of new infections and people in the hospital will probably exceed anything we have seen so far,” said the expert from the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen to the editorial network Germany (RND). Initial data from Great Britain would show “that the disease severity of the Omikron variant is similar to that of Delta”. In January in particular, a high level of hospitalization must be expected in Germany.
In view of this, Zeeb called for swift action. “We need tougher measures before the New Year.” Above all, contact restrictions are “extremely useful and effective”. People should concentrate on a small, fixed group of people again and also test themselves regularly. “I think between three and seven people is appropriate.” But despite contact restrictions and vaccinations, the general spread of Omikron can no longer be prevented, according to Zeeb. New restrictions could slow the rate of spread. This is “absolutely necessary in order not to overload the health system”.
Last Thursday’s RKI weekly report said that the RKI assessed the health risk for the population in Germany who had not been vaccinated or had only been vaccinated once “overall as very high”. For those who were fully vaccinated, it was considered moderate.
Source: Nachrichten
