“There is no way around boosters”

The number of infections in Hamburg is still high. While the majority of Hamburgers have received one or two vaccinations against the corona virus, the city is behind when it comes to boosters.

The corona pandemic has also had the Hanseatic city firmly in its grip for almost two years. High incidence and infection numbers are still a cause for concern.

February 4: Corona crisis team chief: “There is no way around boosters”

The head of the Corona crisis team in the Chancellery, Major General Carsten Breuer, has appealed to the people of Hamburg to get vaccinated against the virus. “Structures and vaccines are there,” said Breuer on Friday in the town hall after an hour-long conversation with Mayor Peter Tschentscher (SPD).

Anyone can get vaccinated. There is enough vaccine. “Boosters help and protect. In my opinion, boosters are the best protection, it’s the ultimate, there’s no way around boosters,” emphasized Breuer.

Hamburg in 9th place among the federal states when boosting

According to the Robert Koch Institute, 81.3 percent of Hamburg residents have been vaccinated at least once. 79.8 percent have complete basic protection with the second injection that is usually necessary. So far, 52.4 percent of the residents have received a booster vaccination.

Hamburg ranks third behind Bremen and Saarland for the first and second vaccinations in a country comparison, but the Hanseatic city remains in ninth place among the 16 countries for booster vaccinations.

Tschentscher certified that Breuer and the crisis team did a good job. “They have helped us a lot (…) that for some time now we have been able to deliver sufficient vaccines that are adequate for the population.” That improved the situation. At the same time, he praised his own pandemic management. A lot is going very, very well. “Rough things – injected the wrong vaccines, taken salt, administered five times the doses somewhere – we didn’t have any of that in Hamburg,” said Tschentscher.

3 February: Strict controls in the HVV for 3G and FFP2 obligation

Today, Thursday, as part of the control day, almost all of northern Germany (except Bremen) will be strictly checked for compliance with the 3G rule and the FFP2 mask requirement in the HVV. “A joint day of action is planned, in which transport companies, public transport authorities, the police and regulatory authorities will take part,” explained Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania’s Economics Minister Reinhard Meyer (SPD).

According to the “Hamburger Abendblatt”, the S-Bahn Hamburg and the Hochbahn are also taking part in the day of action. Violations are subject to a fine. According to Hochbahn, around 95 percent adhere to the rules, Deutsche Bahn quotes a rate of 99 percent as far as compliance with the 3G rule is concerned.

February 2: Incidence in Hamburg increased again

After three days of falling numbers, the seven-day incidence of new corona infections in Hamburg rose again on Wednesday. The health authority gave the number of reported infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week as 2,076.6 – after 2,038.9 on Tuesday.

A week ago the value was 2,051.3. The social authorities continue to point out that the high number of cases can lead to delays in reporting and that it must therefore be assumed that the actual incidence is higher.

A total of 7,277 new cases were reported within one day – 1,868 more than on Tuesday and 718 more than a week ago. At least 265,622 people have been infected in the Hanseatic city since February 2020 – 155,700 of them are considered recovered according to estimates by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The number of people who have died from or in connection with Corona since the beginning of the pandemic has increased by eleven to 2,147.

Based on a different calculation method, the RKI gave a seven-day incidence of 1,511.1 for Hamburg on Wednesday. This means that the Hanseatic city still has the third-highest value in Germany after Berlin (1,694.4) and Hesse (1,533.0).

February 1st: School authorities put together a support package against the consequences of Corona

With a funding package worth 34 million euros, Hamburg wants to take action against corona-related learning deficits and mental problems among schoolchildren. Of this, around 26 million euros are earmarked for additional support courses in the afternoon and learning opportunities during the holidays, said School Senator Ties Rabe (SPD) on Tuesday after the meeting of the red-green Senate. A further eight million euros would be made available for additional advice and support services for schoolchildren with social and psychological problems.

It’s about helping children and young people to overcome the consequences of school closures, said the senator. “There is increasing evidence that the school closures have left a clear mark on the education and mental and social development of many students.” It is therefore crucial for success “that the schools remain open now and are not closed again or organized in alternating classes”.

Hamburg refrains from collecting personal contact data

Hamburg intends to refrain from collecting personal data for contact tracing in the event of corona infections in the future. The Senate decided on Tuesday, said Senate spokesman Marcel Schweitzer. A corresponding adjustment to the Corona Containment Ordinance will be made in the coming days, so that from Saturday the obligation to collect personal data, for example at events and in restaurants, will no longer apply – and thus also the obligation to use the Luca app.

Schweitzer spoke of a clear relief. The 2G-plus rule in force in Hamburg, according to which only those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered with an additional negative test have access to large parts of public life, guarantees adequate protection against infection.

January 27: Hanseatic city reports almost 8,000 new infections

The incidence in Hamburg has increased rapidly within 24 hours. The value is now 2,124.8 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants. A new high has been reached. 7,814 citizens tested positive for the corona virus. However, the social and health authorities emphasize that a higher number of actually infected people must be assumed.

“The reason for this is the rapid increase and the high number of cases, which sometimes leads to later reporting of findings by the laboratories and sometimes delayed processing at the transmitting offices,” a spokesman for the authority is quoted as saying by the “NDR”.

January 26: Incidence breaks the 2,000 mark

On Wednesday, the city again reported thousands of infections with the corona virus. 6,559 people tested positive within 24 hours. This means that the incidence has risen to 2,051.3.

January 25: Authority recalls inadequate corona tests

19 out of 20 positive test results in Hamburg daycare centers are said to have been wrong. This was announced by the competent authority on Tuesday. However, the “false alarm”, as spokesman Martin Helfrich called it, was not the only effect of the faulty tests. The Hanseatic city suffered millions in damage. Read more about this here.

Hamburg incidence is just under 2,000

Within 24 hours, the incidence in Hamburg jumped to 1,999.4 on Tuesday. On Monday it was still at 1,881.9. At the same time, the city reported 6,663 new infections with the corona virus. Ten more people have died with or from the virus. This increases the number of corona deaths in the Hanseatic city to 2,085.

More and more Covid patients are also being treated in hospitals. 530 are in the wards of the clinics, 76 of them even in the intensive care units.

January 24: Association for the blind organizes barrier-free vaccination campaign

The Hamburg Blind and Visually Impaired Association organized a barrier-free corona vaccination campaign on its premises on Monday. A guide strip for the blind leads from the Hamburger Straße underground station to the office in the district of Barmbek-Süd, so the place is particularly easy to reach for the visually impaired, said the spokeswoman for the association, Melanie Wölwer.

The Louis Braille Center is also equipped with particularly large elevators, so that wheelchair users can move around the building without any problems. Social counseling staff were available to help fill in the paperwork. The vaccination offer was well received, not only by the visually impaired, said Wölwer.

Lack of PCR tests: Health authorities advise rapid tests

In view of the shortage of PCR tests, the Hamburg health authority advises the use of rapid antigen tests if the corona warning app is red or for so-called free testing after infection. The capacities are currently not sufficient, said authority spokesman Martin Helfrich.

“We will probably have to use the PCR test capacities in a targeted manner in the coming weeks to carry out tests on people in critical infrastructure and in vulnerable facilities.” A corresponding decision was expected on Monday from the Prime Ministers’ Conference, which wanted to consult with Chancellor Olaf Scholz in the afternoon.

Hamburg: No PCR test with a red warning in the Corona app

Citizens who have had a quick test positive should isolate themselves for ten days according to the rules in force. “They should stick to this duration, even if the infection is not confirmed with the greatest certainty, for example because no PCR test is available in the short term,” said Helfrich.

However, the isolation can be ended if you have no symptoms for at least two days and a quick test then carried out again in a certified test center is negative. “People who have a red warning app notification should also only have a quick test done at a certified test center,” he said.

January 23: Hanseatic city has the highest incidence in Germany

The seven-day incidence in Hamburg is rising and rising: The Hanseatic city is now the federal state with the highest corona incidence. The health authority put the number of reported infections per 100,000 residents per week on Sunday at 1,852.6. This is the highest value ever measured. On Saturday it was 1,767.2, compared to 942.5 a week ago.

Based on a different calculation method, the RKI gave a seven-day incidence of 1,552.9 for Hamburg on Sunday. Hamburg is the federal state with the highest incidence, ahead of Berlin (1,483.8) and Bremen (1,256.7). The RKI gave a value of 806.8 for all of Germany. Nationwide, 85,4401 new cases were added.

80 Covid patients in Hamburg intensive care units

According to the health authority, a total of 2,520 new cases were added in Hamburg. On Saturday there were 5,764, on Sunday a week ago 894 new cases were reported. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the number of people who have died from or in connection with Corona since the beginning of the pandemic has increased by 7 to 2075.

According to the available data, at least 208,239 people have been infected in the Hanseatic city since February 2020. According to the RKI estimate, 140,000 of them are considered recovered. According to the register of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi), 80 Covid 19 patients were treated in the intensive care units of the Hamburg hospitals on Sunday, 6 more than the day before. 40 of them had to be invasively ventilated, 3 more than on Saturday.

–