Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) sees Germany in a severe corona wave again and has urgently asked the federal states to take countermeasures. “There can be no talk of a Freedom Day – quite the opposite,” he said in a joint press conference with the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler. In view of the very high number of infections, a situation had arisen in which one could not simply wait until better weather eased the situation, said Lauterbach and announced: “We cannot leave it as it is at the moment.”

The minister, therefore, assumes that the officially reported infection numbers of currently around 300,000 cases per day are actually twice as high. However, the exact number of unreported cases is not known, he said. “It could be that the number of deaths will increase in the next few weeks,” said Lauterbach. This could happen even if the seven-day incidence of new infections decreases, he said: “The situation is extremely unsatisfactory.”

The minister appealed to the federal states to now implement regulations according to the amended Infection Protection Act, which is regionally possible for so-called hotspots in critical situations. An overburdening of the healthcare system that can be determined for this purpose can be measured by specific criteria – for example, if operations that can be planned have to be postponed or patients have to be transferred. Lauterbach said again that hotspots can span an entire state in this way. At a conference of health ministers on Monday, the federal states are to be discussed again about the implementation of the regulation.

Lauterbach also said that he would support it if supermarket chains or large organizers continued to make mask specifications for their interiors according to domiciliary rights. With the currently high number of infections, this could be an addition to the protection rules of countries in hotspot regions with a critical situation, he said.

The infection protection law amended by the traffic light coalition has met with widespread protest in the federal states. After a transitional period until April 2, they can impose some more extensive restrictions on regional hotspots, such as an extended mask requirement and access rules, if the respective state parliament determines a critical situation there.

Lauterbach calls for more four vaccinations

Lauterbach again called on the citizens to get vaccinated. The risk of becoming infected now and having a severe course or even death is “higher than ever,” said Lauterbach. With the currently high number of infections, unvaccinated people should expect to become infected in the next few days. This also applies to those who said they got through two years well.

According to Lauterbach, a fourth vaccination should be taken seriously, especially by those over 60. Of those who, according to the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission, should be vaccinated a fourth time, 90 percent have not yet done so.

According to Lauterbach, there are still too few vaccinated people in the country overall. “The vaccination rate that we have now is too low to get through in the fall without drastic measures for all variants that we know so far.” Significant measures would then again be necessary. “And so we are working tirelessly on compulsory vaccination, which other countries do not need so urgently in this form because they have achieved a much higher vaccination rate.”

Majority for compulsory vaccination

The Federal Minister of Health assumes that a majority will be reached in the Bundestag for the introduction of general corona vaccination. The question is whether the Union votes in the end and whether the existing applications are brought together, said Lauterbach. There are also many supporters in the Union. “Therefore, I do believe that in the end, I’m optimistic, we will be able to get a general vaccination requirement,” said Lauterbach. Discussions take place at all levels. According to previous planning, the Bundestag is to vote on the obligation to vaccinate in the week after next.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the nationwide seven-day incidence of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week has risen to a maximum of 1,756.4 – after 1,752 the day before. The health authorities reported 296,498 new cases in one day and 288 other deaths.