News that move us: RKI warns of a dynamic increase in new corona infections +++ Will the exemption for Germany end soon? +++ Corona relaxations cause stress in young people.
The most important news in the Brigitte ticker
What is moving the world? What motivates the Brigitte editors? In this ticker we summarize the most important news for you.
October 22, 2021
The fourth corona wave has now also arrived in Germany
The fourth corona wave was announced a few weeks ago, but then it rippled away. The incidences and hospital occupancies remained stable. Now the numbers are suddenly making huge leaps. The number of new infections is currently increasing by almost 70 percent.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) warns that the number of corona cases in Germany could rise dynamically in the coming period, according to the “editorial network Germany”. “It is to be expected that the increase in the number of cases will accelerate in the further course of autumn and winter,” writes the institute in the current weekly report on the pandemic.
In the past few months, the incidences in the younger age groups were particularly high, now the RKI is pointing out that there has been a significant increase again in people over 90 – the seven-day incidence in this age group has been over since May 50 increased.
Health Minister Jens Spahn spoke out a few days ago for the end of the pandemic situation – a “Freedom Day” in November, but with additional conditions. According to a Yougov survey, 57 percent of Germans agree with the project. A look at Great Britain, however, shows that the situation there is now coming to a head after all measures have been terminated. The British are currently recording almost 50,000 cases daily and the seven-day incidence is around 435.
October 19, 2021
Will the “epidemic situation” end at the end of November?
Despite the current rising incidence and a slight increase in hospital occupancy, Health Minister Jens Spahn is in favor of the “epidemic situation” not being extended any further.
An acute overload of the health system is no longer a risk due to the current vaccination quota, a ministry spokesman confirmed the statement by Jens Spahn (CDU) during the corona consultations with the health ministers of the federal states.
According to participants in the group, the reason for his decision was the classification of the Robert Koch Institute. The risk situation for vaccinated people as well as the risk of excessive demands on the health system is now only classified as moderate, according to the “Tagesschau”. The RKI has been pointing out for a long time that almost all infections and especially the severe corona courses occur almost only in unvaccinated people.
This means that the nationwide exemption could expire on November 25, 2021 – which in turn would mean that there would no longer be a basis for ordering a lockdown.
However, it should not be assumed that any action will end by the end of November. Spahn himself advocates that the hygiene and distance rules should continue to be followed. This measure is not an all-clear.
“No federal state would be so crazy, given the current number of cases, to forego access restrictions for closed rooms or to bury the mask requirement in buses and trains,” said the SPD politician Karl Lauterbach of the “editorial network Germany”. The next steps will be decided by the new Bundestag – so nothing has been decided yet.
October 6, 2021
Young people feel stressed by the corona easing
In September, 34 percent of those born after 1995 (Generation Z) agreed to the statement: “I feel pressured to do a lot of things when it is possible again”. These findings come from a special evaluation by the Institute for Generational Research in Augsburg, according to “Zeit”.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, the private institute has been questioning at least 1,500 representatively selected people every two weeks about how they experience the corona pandemic. There is now a slightly decreasing trend. In May this question was still answered by 54 percent. In the case of older people, the approval ratings are lower overall, but have remained relatively constant since the easing began.
For Generation Y (between 26 and 39 years of age) the value fluctuates around 30 percent. The older the group gets, the lower the agreement. In the case of the so-called baby boomers aged 56 and over, the value has recently increased again and ends up at 11 percent.
After more than a year and a half of the pandemic and constant lockdowns, some have apparently got used to everyday life without much social contact. In August, 25 percent of 26 to 39-year-olds agreed with the statement: “I would like to keep the pandemic everyday life”. In the younger Generation Z it was 13 percent and in the older groups between 13 and 15 percent.
October 4, 2021
The new emergency call app “nora” for speech and hearing impaired people has been launched
Who still uses a fax machine these days? The outdated communication system can now hardly be found anywhere except in well-established administrative structures. Wrong thought: Until recently, it was one of the few options for hearing-impaired people in particular to send an emergency call to the fire brigade, ambulance service or the police – when friends or family were not within reach.
That is changing now. A few days ago the new “nora” emergency call app was launched in 15 federal states. The app now closes the circle and supplements the emergency call system with a mobile component, said the North Rhine-Westphalian Interior Minister Herbert Reul (CDU) at the presentation of the app in Düsseldorf.
And this is how “nora” works: Information on previous illnesses or allergies can already be stored in a profile. If an emergency call is made, the app immediately recognizes the location of the cell phone, which can be transmitted to the control center with one click. The user is then guided through several questions in order to be able to better assess the type of emergency call – as is usually done on the phone.
The entire conversation in the “nora” app takes place via chat.
© press images “nora”
The demand for “nora” was so high in the first day that it can currently no longer be downloaded. “In order to be able to cope with the high demand, work on the infrastructure for the emergency call system has become necessary,” says the official website. At the moment it cannot be downloaded from the stores, but it is available from support.
People with speech or hearing impairments can contact them by email at [email protected] or via the contact form report and receive individual access.
September 27, 2021
Citizens in Switzerland choose marriage for everyone
The citizens of Switzerland have made a clear decision: They support the introduction of the law for marriage for everyone. After counting the 26 cantons, 64.1 percent voted for the approval of the law. The amendment to the law was passed in 2020. Opponents of the change, such as the national conservative party EDU (Federal Democratic Union), had initiated a referendum with their protest. It is not yet known when the law will come into force after the successful vote.
The new law not only provides marriage for everyone, but also allows same-sex couples to adopt a child together. Lesbian women can allow themselves to be artificially fertilized in a homosexual partnership – which was one of the points that was sharply criticized by the opponents. So far there have only been registered partnerships for homosexual couples in Switzerland. However, this regulation does not allow the couple the same rights as a married couple. With the decision to marry for everyone, Switzerland is one of the last countries in Europe. Germany has had this regulation since 2017.
September 15, 2021
When assessing the corona situation, the incidence has now had its day
Instead of the incidence, the regional hospital occupancy will in future be the decisive yardstick for initiating protective measures against the coronavirus. This emerges from the so-called formulation aid of the Federal Ministry of Health for an amendment to the Infection Protection Act, which is available to the editorial network Germany (RND). The application points out that the number of Covid-19 patients accepted for treatment per 100,000 inhabitants should be decisive. The so-called hospitalization incidence.
There should no longer be a uniform limit value. The threshold depends on the respective regional supply capacity of the hospitals. However, other parameters such as the number of people who have already been vaccinated or the infection dynamics should also continue to be included in the assessment. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) told the RND: The incidence has had its day. In order to assess the pandemic situation, the hospitalization rate is much more meaningful. “
September 8, 2021
Corona pandemic: Mothers suffer from depressive moods much more often
The significantly increased care work leaves its mark on families. Mothers in Germany in particular suffer more frequently from depressive moods during the pandemic and often felt overwhelmed, according to the result of a data analysis by the broadcaster rbb24 based on surveys by the German Institute for Economic Research (DIW) and the Berlin Social Science Center (WZB). support.
Prior to the pandemic, 29 percent of mothers in a relationship and 21 percent of single mothers said they felt depressed and hopeless at times or more often. During the pandemic, it was 64 percent of mothers in relationships and 74 percent of single mothers.
In the case of fathers, the proportion of those with depressive moods rose from 33 to 48 percent. In the opinion of scientists, it is above all the increased care work that weighs on the shoulders of mothers. For mothers in a relationship, care work increased from six to seven hours to over ten hours a day. The researchers warn: If nothing happens now, an entire generation of mothers is threatened with burn-out, according to “Die Zeit”.
Sources used: rbb24.de, zeit.de, rnd.de, nora-notruf.de, aerzteblatt.de, generation-thinking.de