Corona: The events from December 13th to 19th, 2021

9.40 p.m .: The federal and state governments will advise on the corona situation on Tuesday

The federal and state governments will advise on the corona situation on Tuesday and how to proceed in view of the spread of the omicron variant. This was agreed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz and North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst as Chairman of the Prime Ministers' Conference, as both sides announced to the German Press Agency in Berlin on Sunday evening.

Apart from tightening up at events, a nationwide FFP2 mask requirement is also being discussed, as well as contact restrictions for vaccinated people. The background to this is, among other things, warnings from Chancellor Olaf Scholz’s (SPD) scientific Corona advisory board, which issued a statement warning of the serious effects of a further spread of the omicron variant.

9:25 p.m .: Lauterbach expects the Novavax vaccine to be approved for Monday

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) expects the protein-based US vaccine Novavax to be approved within 24 hours. The minister says in the "Bild" talk "The right questions": "I expect Novavax to be approved tomorrow." The EU Medicines Agency (EMA) is responsible for approval.

Lauterbach cautioned against assuming the new vaccine "will be a game changer." According to studies, Moderna and Biontech are "a whole lot safer". However, some vaccine skeptics are waiting for Novavax and dead vaccines because they do not trust the mRNA vaccines. As a result, the vaccination rate in Germany could increase.

9.10 p.m .: Vaccination center breakdown: children get Moderna instead of Biontech

In the Olpe district vaccination center in North Rhine-Westphalia, several children received the Moderna vaccine on Sunday - although they have only had the remedy so far approved by Biontech. "The parents of the affected children were immediately informed of the incident," the district said. In discussions with the medical management of the vaccination center, they were informed that the European Medicines Agency had applied for approval for the Moderna vaccine for children.

The children who received the Moderna drug had no abnormalities when they left the vaccination center. At the request of the parents, the incident was reported to the police.

9:07 p.m .: Tuchel sees the health of the players in danger – Klopp also for rethinking

Thomas Tuchel and Jürgen Klopp have asked the English Premier League to act in view of the numerous corona cases. While Chelsea team manager Tuchel fears for the health of his players and has no understanding for sticking to appointments, Liverpool coach Klopp criticized the extremely tight schedule at the turn of the year.

Chelsea had asked for Sunday's game at Wolverhampton Wanderers to be rescheduled in view of seven cases in the squad, including international Timo Werner, and others on the staff - in vain. "We're talking about protecting players and creating a safe environment, but it's not safe," said Tuchel after the disappointing 0-0 BBC victory: "I wouldn't be surprised if we had more positive results in the next tests ."

Six of the weekend's ten Premier League games were canceled but Chelsea were forced to play. "How is this supposed to be stopped when we're all sitting on the bus and eating dinner together as if nothing happened? People are worried," said Tuchel.

8.45 p.m .: FDP parliamentary group leader Dürr: “No lockdown”

After the statement by the Federal Government’s Corona Expert Council on the Omicron variant, FDP parliamentary group leader Christian Dürr reiterated the goal of avoiding a lockdown. "You have to look at meaningful contact restrictions if they become necessary," Dürr said on Sunday evening on the ZDF program "Berlin direct". “But at the moment I say: no lockdown and as few contact restrictions as possible.” 8:50 p.m.: 30,000 people commemorate the corona dead with a sea of ​​lights in Vienna

According to the police, around 30,000 people commemorated the corona victims in Austria with a sea of ​​lights on Sunday evening in Vienna. During the approximately ten-minute rally on the Ringstrasse, participants carried candles or lamps or had their mobile phone lights on. The campaign under the motto "#YesWeCare - das#Lichtermeer" was supported by several dozen organizations such as trade unions, medical associations and religious communities.

Federal President Alexander Van der Bellen also declared his solidarity. The head of state put a candle in a window of the Hofburg. So far, more than 13,000 people have died from or with Covid-19 in Austria.

8:43 p.m .: More than 50 arrests during protests against corona policy in Brussels

In Belgium, protests against the government’s corona policy turned violent again on Sunday. The police arrested more than 50 people in the capital Brussels, a police spokeswoman said in the evening. Water cannons and tear gas were also used in a park near the EU buildings. According to the police, around 3,500 people had previously demonstrated peacefully. The organizers themselves spoke of around 50,000 participants.

The actual rally was peaceful until the end, said the police spokeswoman. Subsequently, however, a small group "deliberately sought a confrontation with the police". A protester was taken to the hospital. There had already been riots and arrests on the previous two weekends after demonstrations against the state corona measures.

8:30 p.m.: So-called "Monday walks" banned in several cities

Several cities have banned so-called "Monday walks" planned for this Monday (December 20). These were deliberately not registered, it said, among other things, as a reason. At events of this type, people regularly protest against corona measures in many German locations. The bans were imposed by the cities of Frankenthal, Neustadt an der Weinstrasse, the district of Bad Dürkheim (Rhineland-Palatinate) and the city of Karlsruhe (Baden-Württemberg).

The Bad Dürkheim district administration stated that the "walks" practiced nationwide were "characterized by the simultaneity of accurate planning and supposed spontaneity". The assemblies aimed to undermine government measures. There is also concern "that the people concerned, who are becoming increasingly disinhibited and radicalized (...) are playing a kind of "cat-and-mouse game" with the assembly authority, the regulatory authority and the police".

8.10 p.m .: Districts: Federal-state consultations on Corona may soon

After the statement by the new Corona expert council on the omicron variant, the federal and state governments could soon discuss how to proceed. According to information from the German Press Agency from government circles, such consultations could possibly take place on Tuesday. .

The Corona Expert Council already sees a "need for action" in the coming days due to the spread of the omicron variant. “Effective nationwide coordinated countermeasures to control the incidence of infection must be prepared, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions,” says an initial statement published on Sunday.

8:05 p.m .: Government is considering further restriction of event size before New Year’s Eve

Because of the danger of the omicron variant of the corona virus, the federal government is considering further restriction of events, according to media reports. Appropriate contact restrictions could be decided at a special meeting of the federal and state governments later this week, reports the “RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland” (RND), citing government circles.

It is conceivable that the upper limit for indoor events will be lowered from 50 to 20 to 25 participants and for open-air events from 200 to 100 participants. Clubs and discotheques could also be closed. It is likely that these restrictions will not come into force at Christmas, but only after the holidays. However, this would mean that New Year's Eve events would have to be significantly smaller.

8.02 p.m .: Entry from Great Britain: PCR test required for Bavaria

Due to the reclassification of Great Britain as a virus variant area, stricter test rules apply to people entering Bavaria from the region. "According to the Bavarian general decree, a mere negative antigen test is no longer sufficient as test evidence for travelers from virus variant areas," said Health Minister Klaus Holetschek (CSU) on Sunday evening. You would also have to be tested by means of a PCR test upon or immediately after entry and would need a corresponding test certificate.

For people entering Bavaria who live or are staying in Bavaria, additional tests of this kind would be ordered on day 5 and day 13 of the quarantine. According to the information, this tightening has so far only applied to entries from South Africa and the countries bordering there. It will now be extended to all virus variant areas, including those entering the UK.

According to the ministry, more than 1,500 passengers from the United Kingdom were expected at the Bavarian airports of Munich and Memmingen on Sunday. As a precautionary measure, appropriate testing has already been ordered for these passengers so that isolation measures can be initiated immediately.

7:06 p.m .: Buschmann for “appropriate measures” against Omikron

After the opinion of the Corona Expert Council, the FDP politician and Federal Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann was basically open to new contact restrictions. "The FDP is a freedom party and a party of proportionality. This means that you always look closely at what the situation is, how dangerous it is and what measures are appropriate and proportionate in view of this danger," said Buschmann on Sunday in the "report from Berlin" of the ARD.

"However, if we now have data from the UK that omicron is very, very contagious, that a new wave may be moving towards intensive care units, appropriate action will need to be taken."

7.05 p.m .: Corona infections in Great Britain up by 52% in one week

In Great Britain the number of new corona infections rose sharply in the week to December 19th. The government said cases increased by 51.9 percent in the seven days. For Sunday, Great Britain reported 82,886 new Covid 19 infections and 45 deaths.

6.25 p.m .: In Ireland, Omikron is now the predominant variant

Omikron has become the predominant Corona variant in Ireland. According to current analyzes it is assumed that half (51.6 percent) of all confirmed infections are omicron cases, the Irish Ministry of Health announced on Sunday.

Ireland's chief medical adviser Tony Holohan said it took less than two weeks for omicron to become the dominant Covid variant in Ireland, according to Irish broadcaster RTÉ. That shows how contagious the variant is. It is now absolutely necessary to limit contacts and flatten the curve of new infections in order to prevent unnecessary deaths.

Both the curve for new infections and deaths had risen steeply in the country with around five million inhabitants in the past few days and weeks. The incidence, which is only given for a 14-day period in Ireland, was last (as of December 13) at 1,305 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.

6.15 p.m .: Corona incidence in Bavaria falls to 288.7

The corona incidence in Bavaria continues to fall. On Sunday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported a value of 288.7 for the Free State. On Friday the value was still 313.4. Bavaria is thus further below the national average, which the RKI stated at 315.4. However, the numbers on Sunday and Monday are often lower than on other days because there is less testing and evaluation on the weekend.

Since the beginning of the pandemic, the RKI in Bavaria has counted a total of 19,009 deaths in connection with the corona virus. That means 15 more corona deaths have been reported since Saturday.

Furthermore, no administrative district or independent city in the Free State is above the incidence mark of 1,000. According to the RKI, the highest incidence values ​​​​in Bavaria are currently in the city of Coburg with 727.2, followed by the district of Coburg with 668.8 and in the city of Schweinfurt with 558.9. The city of Erlangen had the lowest value on Sunday with 136.1.

6.14 p.m .: Corona expert council of the federal government for contact restrictions

The new corona expert council of the federal government already sees a “need for action” for the coming days due to the spread of the omicron variant. “Effective nationwide coordinated countermeasures to control the incidence of infection must be prepared, in particular well-planned and well-communicated contact restrictions,” says a statement published in Berlin on Sunday. The ARD capital studio had previously reported about it.

6.11 p.m .: EU will receive an additional 20 million Biontech vaccine doses in the first quarter of 2022

In the first quarter of 2022, the EU will receive an additional 20 million vaccine doses from Biontech/Pfizer on top of the previous orders. As the EU Commission announced on Sunday, the additional cans will be added to the already planned delivery volume of 195 million Biontech/Pfizer cans.

Member States are to receive five million of the additional doses in January. Another five million are to be delivered in February and ten million in March.

5.30 p.m .: EU authority advises on approval of Novavax vaccine

The EU medicines agency EMA advises on Monday on approval of the corona vaccine from the US manufacturer Novavax. According to the EMA, the competent expert commission will then deal with the application for approval in an extraordinary meeting.

The company had applied for market approval in the EU in November - the EMA, based in Amsterdam, had already announced several times that a decision should be made this year. The experts had evaluated studies on the effects and risks in the ongoing test procedure. If they recommend approval, the EU Commission still has to approve it. But that is considered a formality.

In contrast to the previously approved vaccines, the preparation is neither an mRNA vaccine - like the preparations from Biontech and Moderna - nor a vector vaccine like those from Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson. The vaccine contains tiny particles made up of a lab-made version of the Sars-CoV-2 spike protein.

4.40 p.m .: Lauterbach does not expect a short-term lockdown

In the Netherlands there is a lockdown over the Christmas period. For Germany, the Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) excluded in the "Report from Berlin". "No, a lockdown like in the Netherlands before Christmas - we won't have that here," said Lauterbach. At the same time, he is certain that there will be a fifth corona wave in Germany. "We have exceeded a critical number of Omicron-infected people - so this wave can no longer be stopped completely," added the Minister of Health. The booster vaccination campaign aims to protect those who are particularly at risk.

4.05 p.m .: Isolated violence during demonstrations against corona measures

Thousands of people demonstrated against corona measures and vaccinations across Germany at the weekend. The largest gatherings were in Hamburg and Nuremberg. Demonstrations were also held in Frankfurt am Main, Freiburg, Karlsruhe and Düsseldorf. The protests were mostly peaceful - but in some places there were attacks on officials, the press and demonstrators.

3.50 p.m .: Fauci warns US citizens - omicron "rages around the world"

US President Joe Biden's medical adviser, Anthony Fauci, warns Americans about the highly contagious omicron variant of the Corona virus caution. This "rages all over the world," Fauci told NBC. He asked all US citizens who want to travel over the holidays to be vaccinated. Omicron has so far been detected in more than 20 US states and around 90 countries after being first detected in southern Africa and Hong Kong in late November.

3.05 p.m .: Wüst calls for a Corona timetable before Christmas

North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst wants a decision on further corona measures to be taken quickly in view of the Omicron variant. The federal and state governments would have to agree on a timetable for the next few weeks before Christmas. "We need a common strategy against Omikron," says the CDU politician of the "Bild". Politicians must honestly tell the citizens that restrictions in everyday life will also be absolutely necessary in the new year.

Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther, on the other hand, sees no need for further decisions by the federal and state governments to combat the corona pandemic, despite growing concerns about the spread of the omicron variant. “The instruments that were given to the federal states with the Federal Infection Protection Act are sufficient,” said the CDU politician to the “Welt”.

3 p.m .: Green health politician Dahmen warns of staff shortages due to Omikron

The Green health politician Janosch Dahmen has warned of massive staff shortages in hospitals, for example, in the event of a further spread of the Omikron variant of the corona virus. "We have to be prepared for the fact that in areas of critical infrastructure a lot of staff will be absent due to illness," Dahmen told the "Handelsblatt". He sees this danger not only in hospitals and care facilities, but also, for example, in the fire brigade, police, in pharmacies and in the food trade.

Experience from countries like the Netherlands, now going into lockdown, suggested that small measures were not enough. "The closure of non-essential retail can be just as much a tool as industry-wide company holidays into January to get Omikron under control," said Dahmen.

2.55 p.m .: Protests against corona restrictions in Brussels, Paris and London

Thousands demonstrated peacefully in Brussels against the Belgian government's corona policy. Participants carried placards with slogans such as "Free Zone" and "Enough is enough" on Sunday. The police were present with numerous officers, after there had been violence and injuries at times during previous protests.

Healthcare workers also demonstrated in the protest march. They protested against the provision that they must be vaccinated within three months if they want to keep their jobs.

Similar protests have also taken place in Paris and London. Because of the very contagious omicron mutation of the virus, many states have reintroduced stricter contact restrictions. There is already a lockdown in the Netherlands again. The World Health Organization said over the weekend that the number of infections with omicron doubles every one and a half to three days if this variant of the pathogen is transmitted within a country and not just brought in from abroad.

2.35 p.m .: Several thousand demonstrate in Nuremberg against corona measures

Several thousand people demonstrated in Nuremberg on Sunday against the federal and state corona measures. "Duty to think instead of compulsory vaccination" and "No to compulsory vaccination" were the words on the demonstrators' posters, among other things. There is a strong influx, said a police spokesman. Some of the participants also traveled from outside the region. At first he could not give an exact number.

2.03 p.m .: Iranian state television reports the first omicron infection in the country

In Iran, an infection with the omicron variant of the corona virus has been discovered for the first time. This was reported by state television on Sunday. The government called on people to get vaccinated. According to official information, about 60 percent of the approximately 85 million inhabitants are fully vaccinated, which corresponds to more than 50 million. About 3.5 million people have received a refresher.

Iran uses the Chinese Sinopharm vaccine in particular, but also the vaccine from the Anglo-Swedish manufacturer Astrazeneca and the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. The government is urging fully vaccinated people to get a booster vaccine.

2 p.m .: Israel’s Ministry of Health recommends a travel ban to Germany

Israel’s Ministry of Health advocated a travel ban to other countries on Sunday, including Germany and the USA. The measure to contain the omicron variant of the corona virus should come into force after approval by the government on Tuesday at midnight (local time), the Ministry of Health said in a statement. Other countries classified as "red" are Italy, Belgium, Hungary, Morocco, Portugal, Canada, Turkey and Switzerland. There is already an entry ban for foreigners in Israel. More than 50 countries - especially in Africa - were also already considered "red". Israelis can only travel there with special permission.

1.55 p.m .: FDP health politician against lockdown like in the Netherlands

FDP health politician Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus described the pandemic situation in Germany as "very serious" because of the spread of the omicron variant. Nevertheless, on Sunday she spoke out against a lockdown like in the Netherlands. "Instead of a lockdown, the existing diverse instruments should be exhausted," says Aschenberg-Dugnus. In particular, there should be no school closures. Vaccination is the way out of the pandemic.

1.50 p.m .: Wrong statement by Lisa Fitz about vaccination deaths: SWR admits errors

After false statements by cabaret artist Lisa Fitz about vaccination deaths in the SWR comedy show "Spätschicht", Südwestrundfunk has admitted errors. Fitz spoke in the show, which was broadcast on SWR the Friday evening before last, of 5,000 corona vaccine deaths across the EU. Because it was a false statement of fact by Fitz, the program was removed from the ARD media library and also removed from all SWR platforms and channels, the broadcaster announced on Sunday.

"The criticism of this edition of the 'Late Shift' hits us rightly," said Clemens Bratzler, SWR Program Director Information. The freedom of expression does not apply indefinitely, but also ends in a comedy or satirical program if false allegations of facts are made. "Lisa Fitz's statement on the number of vaccine deaths is demonstrably false."

1:45 p.m .: Concerns about omicron outbreak in Israel’s parliament

The Israeli parliament (Knesset) is restricting its activities out of concern about an outbreak of the omicron variant of the corona virus. According to media reports, nine other MPs had to be quarantined because they were in contact with a reporter suspected of being infected with the omicron variant. Many activities should now only take place online and via Zoom, a spokesman confirmed on Sunday. The exact extent of the restrictions is still being discussed. A total of eleven MPs are already in quarantine, he said. According to the reporter concerned, around 130 Knesset employees had to be quarantined.

12.40 p.m .: Italy is apparently considering general vaccination requirements for employees

The Italian government is considering new corona measures, including general vaccination requirements for employees. "Some measures, such as making masks compulsory outdoors, could soon be taken," Franco Locatelli, one of the government's main scientific advisers, told the Corriere della Sera newspaper. This is to prevent a sharp increase in new infections over the holidays. In addition, the obligation to vaccinate could be extended to all employees from January, the newspaper said. So far, vaccination is only mandatory for health care workers, schools, the police and the military.

12.23 p.m .: Netherlands in lockdown - criticism and disappointment

A tough lockdown has come into force in the Netherlands in view of the rapidly spreading omicron variant of the corona virus. Many citizens reacted disappointed, but there were no major protests on Sunday.

Almost all shops, restaurants, cultural and sports facilities, schools and hairdressers have been closed since 5 a.m. Supermarkets and pharmacies are excluded.

Entrepreneurs and innkeepers in particular complained about the loss of income. They demanded compensation for the loss of Christmas sales.

11.25 a.m .: Retailers dissatisfied with Christmas business

Even after the fourth weekend in Advent, the majority of German retailers are disappointed with Christmas business. Two thirds of the 1000 respondents were dissatisfied with the course so far, as the German Retail Association (HDE) announced on Sunday. "This year's Christmas business is a bitter disappointment for many retailers," said HDE Managing Director Stefan Genth. "2G has been bothering them for weeks, and that's usually at the time of the year with the highest sales." With the exception of shops for daily needs such as supermarkets and drugstores, only vaccinated or recovered people (2G) are allowed to enter the shops because of the fourth corona wave.

11.11 a.m .: Omicron now dominant in England - 60 percent of all cases

The highly contagious omicron mutant has become the dominant variant of the corona virus in England. Omicron now accounts for 60 percent of all cases in the country, British Health Secretary Sajid Javid said in an interview with Sky News on Sunday.

The variant had spread rapidly in recent weeks: 10,059 new omicron cases were reported in the UK on Saturday alone - three times as many as the day before. Omikron is also already dominant in Scotland.

10.58 a.m .: Turkey pledges 15 million corona vaccine doses to African countries

Turkey has pledged 15 million corona vaccine doses to African countries. At a Turkey-Africa summit in Istanbul on Saturday, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan criticized the unequal global vaccine distribution and the discrimination against Africa. It is a "disgrace to humanity that only six percent of the African population has been vaccinated," said the President. As soon as the Turkish vaccine Turkovac has emergency approval, Turkey will share it with Africa.

10.57 a.m .: Kretschmann criticizes the traffic light for Corona policy

Baden-Württemberg's Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann feels badly informed by the new federal government in the fight against the corona virus. He told the German Press Agency that he had not yet received any information about the Omicron variant from the government's newly appointed panel of experts. "Time is short, so I expect that we'll get a stand quickly. If you use such a body, the information has to arrive," said the Green politician. The Greens in the Bundestag were also not informed.

10.19 a.m .: Four Corona cases on a cruise ship - passengers have to disembark

Because of several Corona cases on board a cruise ship, around 300 passengers have to prematurely end their trip on Gran Canaria. As the company Tui Cruises announced, all 1,600 passengers of the ship "Mein Schiff 4" will disembark in Las Palmas de Gran Canaria on Sunday, most of them as planned. Around 300 of them actually wanted to spend seven more days on the ship, said a company spokeswoman.

The infections were initially found in four guests. After a full test of passengers and crew, a few more cases were added. Those affected and contacts were isolated in a designated area on board in consultation with the Spanish authorities. They should now remain in quarantine on land. Those infected either have no or only mild symptoms.

9:28 a.m .: The Office for the Protection of the Constitution warns of radicalization during corona protests

Several federal states are reporting an increase in protests against the corona measures and an increase in violence. According to a survey by Welt am Sonntag in all countries, most of the registered politically motivated crimes are violations of the assembly law, damage to property, insults and incitement to hatred. There are also increased attacks on police officers and journalists. A nationwide number of acts is not yet available.

The Federal Office for the Protection of the Constitution warned that right-wing extremists in East Germany are increasing their influence on the protests. Groups such as the right-wing micro-party Freie Sachsen are "propagandistic drivers and content-related keywords," it said.

In many places, right-wing extremists and "Reich citizens" took part in the protests.

8:53 a.m .: Patchwork of regulations for Christmas services

For the second Christmas in the Corona pandemic, a nationwide patchwork of regulations is emerging for the festival services. Both the Catholic and the Protestant Church largely leave the procedure to the congregations themselves.

As a result, the regulations often differ from congregation to congregation, even from service to service within the same congregation. In the children's service and in the Christmas mass, for example, 2G or 3G applies, and you have to register additionally. But the remaining services are often celebrated under the normal rules of distance and hygiene, provided that the Corona Protection Ordinance of the respective country allows it. This means that people who have not been vaccinated can even take part without being tested. "That is the wrong signal," criticized Josef Ridders, chairman of the Federal Association of Catholics in Business and Administration.

06:16: seven-day incidence falls to 315.4

The nationwide seven-day incidence has fallen again compared to the previous day. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the value of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants per week on Sunday morning as 315.4. For comparison: the day before the value was 321.8. A week ago, the nationwide incidence was 390.9 (previous month: 372.7). The health authorities in Germany reported 29,348 new corona infections to the RKI within one day.

Exactly one week ago there were 32,646 infections. The number of reported infections has been falling for almost three weeks. However, experts fear that the trend will soon reverse due to the more contagious omicron variant.

According to the new information, 180 deaths were recorded within 24 hours across Germany. A week ago there were 132 deaths. The RKI has counted 6,793,536 proven infections with Sars-CoV-2 since the beginning of the pandemic. The actual total number is likely to be significantly higher, as many infections go undetected.

The RKI gave the number of corona patients admitted to clinics per 100,000 inhabitants within seven days as 5.10 on Friday (Thursday: 5.17). The RKI gave the number of recovered people on Sunday morning as 5,753,400. The number of people who died from or involved a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2 rose to 108,233.