Mutations and controversial opening strategy: Spring in Berlin and no relaxation of the pandemic in sight – Berlin

In the Bürgerpark Pankow people crowd, screaming children, groups of bicycle excursions on Sunday afternoon. According to the police, there are several thousand visitors in the Mauerpark. Many drink the first beer in spring. In the afternoon, police officers clear the lawn after they have only patrolled and made sure that the alcohol disappears – the ban on consumption continues to apply in all parks.

At the same time, the decline in the number of infections seems to be slowed down – shortly before the 50 mark is reached and easing appears to be in prospect. On Sunday, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported the highest number of new infections in weeks. 7676 new infections were reported in Germany within one day.  The  number of infections in Berlin at the weekend was also significantly higher than the numbers of the previous week.  The  seven-day incidence increased slightly to 56.5.

Berlin Health Senator Dilek Kalayci (SPD) was therefore concerned. She told the Tagesspiegel: “

 The  mutations are on the rise. This slows down the incidence, which has been falling so far. ”Kalayci also urged“ great caution ”in view of the many people on the streets and in the city’s parks.

Last week, according to information from the daily mirror, variant B.1.1.7 was detected in the state’s own “Labor Berlin” in 28 percent of the cases tested for mutations.

 The  South African mutation hardly occurs in Berlin so far. Only five percent of the positive cases are sequenced at all.

 The  twelve Berlin medical officers have now written to the Senate calling for a departure from the previously rumored opening strategy. It is “not expedient to link containment measures to incidences of 20/35/50”, according to the statement, which is exclusively available to the Tagesspiegel.

“

 The se incidences do not reflect the real infection process,” write the medical officers. Among other things, they are dependent on test capacities and people’s willingness to test. “This leads to fluctuations that do not reflect the infectious situation.”

 The re is a difference between whether incidences are due to cluster outbreaks or broad contamination and also which age groups are infected.

Instead, the medical officers suggest that measures should be based on the possible consequences of an illness.

 The y want “intensive measures of infection prevention” for the elderly and the sick and at the same time a moderation of the measures for other groups, such as school children.

 The refore, an incidence analysis based on age cohorts is to be created as an “early warning system” in the future.

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 The  twelve doctors, who have been fighting the pandemic on the front lines for almost a year, criticize the “NoCovid” strategies developed by researchers. “

 The  concept of a zero Covid 19 strategy is rejected,” write the medical officers in the paper that was sent to the Senate Chancellery over the weekend.

“Such a purely theoretical modeling approach does not do justice to the realities of life.” It was said from the circle of medical officers that these models completely ignored other public health issues.

Meanwhile, the situation in the intensive care units is only slowly easing, so intensive care physicians warn against loosening up too early.

 The re are still significantly more Covid 19 patients being treated than at the height of the first wave of pandemics. “

 The  staff in the hospitals are exhausted after months of working, a renewed increase in the number of inpatient cases would be dangerous,” says intensive care doctor Jörg Weimann. He co-designed the pandemic concept for Berlin, according to which intensive care units are allocated to three “levels”.

As Level I, the Charité treats the most severe corona cases. “

 The  so-called herd immunity is still a long way from being achieved, so if things are relaxed, massive numbers of people will be infected again,” says Weimann.

 The  British Corona variant B117 is “so highly contagious” that it is faster than before. “That means there is a third wave coming our way.” This Monday, grades one to three will return to schools.

 The  weather stays warm.