The current corona wave in Bavaria is ebbing away. But the burden in the hospitals remains high. The Munich Corona expert Wendtner expects a hard autumn and advocates masks indoors and in schools.
Munich/Berlin (dpa/lby) - For the first time since mid-September, the corona incidence in Bavaria is below the national average. On Friday morning, the Robert Koch Institute reported an incidence of 635.6 for the Free State. That's down 49.4 from Thursday. The nationwide value was 644.5. However, the burden in the hospitals remains high.
The current downtrend in Bavaria is ongoing: On October 11, the current wave peaked at 1096.8. At that time, 52 of the districts and independent cities in the Free State had incidences of more than 1000, currently there are only two: Tirschenreuth with 1094.2 and Rhön-Grabfeld with 1093.5.
The trend reversal is particularly clear in Munich, among other places. The city had seen a very rapid increase during and after Oktoberfest. Since the peak on October 11, the incidence there has fallen by more than two-thirds. It is currently at 424.3.
However, the incidence only provides a very incomplete picture of the number of infections. Experts assume a high number of cases not recorded by the RKI - mainly because not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only positive PCR tests are included in the statistics. The actual values are therefore likely to be significantly higher. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said last week in relation to the nationwide situation that he was assuming three to four times as much.
Meanwhile, the burden in the hospitals is still high. On Friday, the State Office for Health and Food Safety reported 2165 patients admitted with or because of Corona in Bavaria in the past seven days. Although this is another decline, it is still one of the highest values ever achieved. As of Thursday, 92 Bavarian intensive care units reported restricted operation in the nationwide intensive care register. This is the highest value this year. 47 reported regular operation.
The Munich corona expert Clemens Wendtner from the Munich Clinic Schwabing looks to the future with concern. "I'm afraid we have to assume that this will be another tough autumn," he told the "Augsburger Allgemeine" (Friday edition). "Maybe even tougher than the previous one." The omicron variants of the virus are "not as harmless as is repeatedly portrayed". About half of the Covid 19 patients in his clinic “came to us exclusively because of Corona and these patients have massive problems, for example with their lungs or they suffer from heart muscle inflammation”.
Wendtner also spoke out in favor of a mask requirement indoors. "Relying on voluntariness here is of little use. We see that at many events, for example: anyone who wears a mask is currently treated almost like a leper. In fact, those who don't wear a mask don't show solidarity." A mask requirement is also needed in schools again, the doctor told the newspaper. From the fifth grade, this is reasonable protection for students and teachers.
