News that moves us in April: Lauterbach warns: New omicron mutation could become killer variant +++ New drug helps people suffering from corona +++ Lisa Paus becomes the new Federal Minister for Family Affairs.
The most important news in the BRIGITTE ticker
What moves the world? What moves the BRIGITTE editors? In this ticker we summarize the most important news in April for you.
April 19, 2022
Lauterbach warns: New omicron mutation could become killer variant
The seven-day incidence is currently 669.9 – and is finally on the decline again. Although there may be short-term underreporting due to the Easter holidays, the trend is positive. However, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach warns that the situation could change significantly again in autumn, as he explained to the “Bild am Sonntag”. “Then the cases will increase, then there will probably be new mutations, or the number of cases with omicron infections will increase sharply. That’s why we have to revise the Infection Protection Act again by then.”
An important point for him is the mask requirement, which has now largely been lifted indoors. According to the Infection Protection Act, masks only have to be worn in areas such as medical practices and on local public transport. The federal states can obtain further measures with the so-called hotspot regulation. There must therefore be the possibility in the Infection Protection Act to be able to reintroduce the obligation to wear masks across the board.
When developing the vaccine, Lauterbach expects a preparation that is adapted to the omicron variant. “We’re getting a vaccine that protects against the omicron variants. We’re expecting it in September.” In addition, various omicron subvariants are currently developing: “It is quite possible that we will get a highly contagious omicron variant that is as deadly as Delta. That would be an absolute killer variant.” The vaccination gaps will become particularly visible in the coming autumn, especially due to the fact that vaccination has not been decided, the SPD politician continued.
April 14, 2022
New drug helps people who are severely ill with corona
According to a count by Johns Hopkins University (JHU), around 6.2 million Covid 19 deaths have been registered worldwide so far. Never before have experts in biomedical research developed vaccines and drugs as much and so quickly as during the corona pandemic.
Initial findings from a clinical phase III study by the American pharmaceutical company Veru are now raising hopes that seriously ill Covid 19 patients could soon be helped effectively. According to the company, it stopped a clinical study early due to its high effectiveness. This drug cannot be withheld from other affected people and the study participants from the placebo group.
The drug sabizabulin reduced the risk of death in people at risk of acute lung failure by 55 percent. Data from 150 patients were evaluated. You would have received nine milligrams of the active ingredient daily for up to 21 days. Of the 52 patients who were treated as usual and also received a placebo, almost half (45 percent) died within 60 days. Among the 98 patients treated with the new drug, the death rate was 20 percent. Problematic side effects have not occurred so far.
However, the exact percentages from the interim analysis are still subject to uncertainties due to the small test group. Despite the very good results, the leader of the study urged caution, as further data still had to be evaluated. Nevertheless, the manufacturer Veru will discuss with the American approval authority FDA and apply for emergency approval there.
Lisa Paus becomes the new Federal Minister for Family Affairs
According to the “Spiegel” and ARD, the successor to Anne Spiegel has been determined: the deputy chairwoman of the Greens parliamentary group, Lisa Paus, will become the new family minister. She follows Anne Spiegel, who announced her resignation last Monday.
Paus is 53 years old and has been a member of the Bundestag since 2009. She studied economics and has made a name for herself as a financial politician. Nevertheless, she worked intensively on the central green project of basic child security.
April 13, 2022
Now there is also a corona vaccine for cancer patients
So far, people with previous illnesses have had a particularly difficult time in the pandemic. The available vaccines could not be given to members of some vulnerable groups. Because: They trigger a so-called humoral immune response in the body, i.e. the formation of antibodies by B cells. However, many chemotherapies and some immunotherapies destroy these B cells. This means that the vaccines do not work well for some cancer patients.
Researchers in Tübingen are now developing a vaccine for cancer patients and people with congenital immune defects. Above all, this should build up cellular immunity, which is triggered by T cells.
In a small clinical study, the developed preparation CoVac-1 has now shown the desired effect in 93 percent of the vaccinated subjects: activation of the T-cell immune response. This is what the scientists reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research (AACR) in New Orleans, according to “Die Zeit”. However, the extent to which the 14 patients in the study are actually protected from infection or a severe course has not yet been investigated.
April 11, 2022
Family Minister Anne Spiegel admits mistakes in crisis management and resigns
Around 9 p.m., Family Minister Anne Spiegel appeared in front of the cameras on Sunday. All observers assumed that she would announce her resignation. Because: In the past few weeks, the Green politician has been heavily criticized for her questionable crisis management and incorrect information during the flood disaster in the Ahr Valley in July 2021. At that time, Spiegel was still the Environment Minister of Rhineland-Palatinate.
Then, on Monday afternoon, the inevitable message comes: Anne Spiegel is resigning from her position.
The criticism: Ten days after the devastating flood disaster that killed 134, Spiegel traveled to France with her family on vacation. At that time she told “Bild” that she had attended the cabinet meetings digitally – now she admitted that that was not true. However, she was always available by phone and would have broken off her vacation immediately if it had been necessary.
Spiegel is visibly touched while standing in front of the press on Sunday evening. She talks for minutes about the very private background of her decision and admits mistakes. Her voice keeps breaking. Her husband suffered a stroke in 2019 and he had to avoid stress. The corona pandemic left visible marks on her four children, they urgently needed this break. In addition, she has accepted too many offices – top candidate of the Greens in Rhineland-Palatinate, head of the Ministry of Family Affairs and managing director of the Ministry of the Environment.
April 7, 2022
In Germany there will be no compulsory vaccination for the time being
The obligation to vaccinate in any way is off the table. In the foreseeable future there will be neither a general vaccination requirement in Germany nor one from the age of 60. This draft law and a motion by the Union parliamentary group for a phased model failed to achieve the required majority in the Bundestag. The two applications to introduce a general obligation to vaccinate also failed.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach expressed his disappointment at the voting results on Twitter: “It is a very important decision, because now the fight against Corona will be much more difficult in the autumn.”
April 6, 2022
Karl Lauterbach: “I made a mistake here”
First announced and now rowed back again: The voluntary isolation of corona infected people from May 1, 2022 will not come after all, said Karl Lauterbach on Tuesday evening in the ZDF program “Markus Lanz”. Instead, the quarantine period should be reduced to five days.
After consultations with the federal and state governments, Lauterbach announced at the beginning of the week that infected people and close contacts should voluntarily isolate themselves for at least five days. Only an “urgent recommendation” would be issued. A specific order from the health department should be omitted.
“The health authorities are simply overwhelmed by the high number of cases. That’s why I made the suggestion that we no longer order the isolation and quarantine through the health department, but leave it to our own responsibility,” said Lauterbach at Lanz.
He still believes that it would relieve the health authorities, but on the other hand the “symbolic damage” caused by the isolation that is no longer mandatory is “devastating”. “I’ll collect this point again,” said Lauterbach. He reiterated his statement on Twitter, adding: “I made a mistake here.”
At a press conference on Wednesday, Lauterbach officially announced that the health department would continue to order the isolation of infected people – the isolation time would be reduced to five days. The quarantine of contact persons, on the other hand, should be carried out independently, so that the health authorities could at least be relieved somewhat.
April 5, 2022
From May 1st, those infected with corona should isolate themselves voluntarily
In many federal states it is already possible to shop again without a mask – despite the still very high number of infections. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 180,397 infections were added across Germany within one day. The seven-day incidence is currently 1,394 (as of April 5, 2022).
From May 1st there will be further relaxation of the infection control measures. Anyone who becomes infected is only given the “urgent recommendation” to voluntarily isolate themselves for at least five days – the same recommendation also applies to relatives and contact persons. The health ministers of the federal and state governments have now agreed on this, as Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach announced. This means that the health department can no longer order isolation or quarantine.
A permanent implementation of the currently applicable rule is not necessary, according to Lauterbach. The background to the easing is the current omicron wave with many, but rather mild infections. The new regulation is intended to counteract the massive loss of staff.
However, stricter rules should apply to employees in the healthcare sector, in old people’s and nursing homes and in outpatient nursing services. The health department should still be able to order a ban on activities here. According to the template, the prerequisites for resumption are significant improvements in the symptoms of the disease and a negative result from a rapid or PCR test – on day five at the earliest.
April 4, 2022
Vaccination requirement from the age of 18 failed – traffic light parties present a compromise
The corona vaccination requirement for everyone over the age of 18 has failed for the time being. The project had not found a majority in the Bundestag and was put on hold by the parliamentary supporters due to a lack of prospects of success, according to the initiators of the federal application.
Instead, there is a compromise proposal: compulsory vaccination for people over the age of 50, according to the Green MP Till Steffen, according to “Die Zeit”. All citizens between the ages of 18 and 49 should undergo mandatory vaccination advice. It is also important that a vaccination register is created, Steffen continued.
The compromise proposal is presented by a group of MPs from the traffic light parties SPD, Greens and FDP. The applicants keep open the possibility of extending compulsory vaccination to all adults if necessary.
Sources used: zeit.de, rnd.de, spiegel.de
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That was the news in March.