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Berlin, Jan 2 (EFE) .- The incidence continues to rise in Germany, where the omicron variant is expected to be dominant next week, while the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach, emphasizes that the first dose of the vaccine is already effective once morest mutation.
Thus, the accumulated incidence in Germany stands at 222.7 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in seven days, compared to 220.3 yesterday, 215 on Friday, 220.7 a week ago and 439.2 a month ago in the middle of the fourth wave of the pandemic.
Health authorities reported 12,515 new infections in 24 hours and 46 deaths with or from covid-19, compared to 10,100 and 88 a week ago, while the number of active cases is around 636,200, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) of virology updated last morning.
The RKI warns, however, that the data may be incomplete due to less activity in testing and reporting cases during the Christmas and New Year holidays, so that these days the figures will offer only an incomplete overview of the epidemiological situation in the country.
According to statistician Christian Hesse in statements to the Sunday edition, the peak of the fifth wave caused by omicron “is yet to come.”
“But now in some federal states like Lower Saxony, the omicron variant is dominant. In a week it will be throughout Germany,” he said.
According to the RKI in its weekly report last Thursday, in the week of December 20 to 26, the omicron variant represented 17.5% of infections -with large regional differences- and the delta, still 82.3%.
Until the last day of the year, 74.2% of the population (61.7 million people) had been vaccinated, 71.2% (59.2 million) with the full schedule, while 38.7% ( 32.2 million) had already received a booster dose.
Thus, 21.5 million people – 25.8% of the population – remain unvaccinated; 4 million are under four years – 4.8% -, for which there is still no vaccine.
Speaking to “Bild”, the Minister of Health once more expressed his concern for the unvaccinated before the arrival of the fifth wave caused by omicron and underlined the effectiveness once morest this variant already of a first dose of the vaccine.
According to Lauterbach, “many not vaccinated have the feeling that they have already missed the train anyway”, but “that is not so”, because “the first dose of the vaccine drastically reduces the risk of dying already following 14 days”.
“I call everyone: get vaccinated. With the increase in the first doses administered we can effectively lower the death toll with coronoavirus in the wave that will cause omicrón,” he said.
He also called on the population to continue wearing a mask and specified that with omicron they are even more effective, because the viral load of those infected is lower with this variant than with others.
“It is essential that we wear a mask when we meet other people. This is especially true in class. Wearing a mask consistently is an absolute necessity in all classrooms,” he said.
Classes begin tomorrow in six of the 16 federal states and in two others, in the middle of the week, while students from the rest of the “Länder” return to classrooms next week following the Christmas break.
(c) EFE Agency