Fewer and fewer elderly people from Rhineland-Palatinate are infected with corona – SWR Aktuell

The incidence in Rhineland-Palatinate has been falling since the end of April. Above all, fewer and fewer older people are infected with the corona virus. “An effect of the vaccinations,” said the virologist Bodo Plachter.

Dozens of corona infections are still detected every day in Rhineland-Palatinate – but the numbers have fallen significantly. Above all, however, fewer older people are now infected, for whom the risk of a severe course of the disease is particularly high.

In January, 32.1 percent of those infected were over 60 years old, in May, according to preliminary data, only 12.9 percent. “That is definitely an effect of the vaccination,” says the Mainz virologist Bodo Plachter. “Vaccination is the only way out of the pandemic.”

Only 1.5 of those infected are between 80 and 89 years old

In the case of Rhineland-Palatinate people between the ages of 80 and 89, the data from the State Investigation Office clearly shows how the vaccinations, especially in the care facilities for the elderly, have contained the infections since the beginning of the year. In January, one in ten people infected (11.0 percent) was in this age group. In February it was only 5.8 percent, in March 3.2 percent, in April 2.2 percent and according to preliminary figures in May only 1.5 percent. As members of priority group 1, people over 80 years of age were vaccinated first.

The infections also decreased in the 70 to 79 year olds – priority group 2 – but not quite as quickly. In January, these people accounted for 6.7 percent of all corona infections in Rhineland-Palatinate. In May it was 3.4 percent according to preliminary data. The proportion of the 60 to 69 age group fell from 9.7 percent in January and 10.0 percent in February to May to 7.7 percent.

Young people most of the infected

According to preliminary data, the largest proportions of infected people in Rhineland-Palatinate in May were young people aged 20 to 29 (16.1 percent) and 30 to 39 year olds (15.5 percent). Infections in children and adolescents have tended to increase – in children up to nine years old from 4.0 percent in January to 11.9 percent in May and in 10 to 19-year-olds from 8.2 to 15 in the same period , 2 percent. This is also due to the increased testing in daycare centers and schools, explains Plachter.

The decline in the number of infections gives hope that the spread of the pandemic can calm down. “Four weeks ago was the climax of the third wave,” says Rhineland-Palatinate Health Minister Clemens Hoch (SPD). On April 25, there was a seven-day incidence of 143.1 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in Rhineland-Palatinate. It went up even steeper in the second wave: The highest incidence of 170.4 was recorded on December 21.

Hope for a relaxed summer

And what happens now? Will there be another pretty relaxed summer like it was a year ago? “You can’t rule out anything, but I’m optimistic,” says Hoch, who took over the management of the Ministry of Health from Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler on May 18.

“It is possible that we will experience an increase again due to loosening and increasing contacts,” says Plachter. The hope is that this will be more moderate due to the vaccinations than at the turn of the year. “If more and more people are vaccinated, a possible yo-yo effect with an up and down in the number of infections will significantly weaken.”

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