Wave of infection: NRW Minister Laumann calls for vaccinations

Appeal - Wave of infection: NRW Minister Laumann calls for vaccinations

In view of the recent wave of coronavirus and respiratory diseases, North Rhine-Westphalia's Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) has called on the population to get vaccinated. "We are currently seeing an increase in the number of cases - not only of coronavirus, but also of other pathogens that cause acute respiratory infections," Laumann told the German Press Agency.

In order to be optimally protected in winter and not overburden the healthcare system, people should take advantage of the available vaccinations. This applies in particular to people who are recommended to be vaccinated by the Standing Vaccination Commission. In the case of coronavirus and influenza, these are people aged 60 and over or with underlying illnesses, as well as medical and nursing staff. According to the recommendation, coronavirus booster vaccinations should be administered twelve months after the last vaccination or illness.

Number of coronavirus infections on the rise

While 3016 corona cases were reported for North Rhine-Westphalia in the 43rd calendar week at the end of October, there were 5265 cases in the 50th week, according to the State Center for Health. (as of 18.12.). However, the number of unreported cases is likely to be much higher. The seven-day incidence rose to 29.03 and is thus above the maximum incidence value of 13.8 since the corona protection measures expired in April of this year.

According to the Ministry of Health, almost 80% of the population in North Rhine-Westphalia has received basic coronavirus vaccinations, two thirds have received a booster vaccination and 19% have received another booster vaccination. The vaccination rate has remained largely constant over the course of the year, it said. Data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) showed that vaccination rates in NRW were consistently above the national average. The number of vaccinations administered has been increasing again since October. In October and November alone, 720,680 people in NRW were vaccinated against coronavirus.

GPs: the sooner, the better

However, the Westphalia-Lippe General Practitioners' Association is currently observing "a certain reluctance" to get coronavirus vaccinations, while the demand for flu vaccinations is on a par with previous years. "Factual information about the necessity and additional protection against current variants is particularly helpful for risk groups", said Chairman Lars Rettstadt. The following principle applies to the coronavirus booster vaccination: "The sooner the better, as it takes ten to 14 days for the vaccination to provide protection".

The North Rhine Association of General Practitioners has observed a similar situation. At the beginning of the season, there was a surge in the second coronavirus booster vaccination. However, this was not as great as hoped for in the over-60 age group, even compared to the flu vaccination. "However, we have also noticed that younger people are increasingly asking for an influenza vaccination in practices," said association chairman Oliver Funken. "The pandemic has made the younger generation more aware of vaccination. We are noticing an increased desire for advice and are responding to this. This is important to prevent vaccination fatigue."

The number of coronavirus infections is also increasing with the current wave of infections, said Funken. However, the number of reported cases is significantly lower than last year. This is due to the fact that not all infections are being reported, as testing is not being carried out across the board. "We assume that the number of cases will continue to rise at the turn of the year," said Funken. "The wave of influenza will come in January/February, as it does every year."

More applications for vaccination damage

The number of applications for recognition of coronavirus vaccination damage has more than doubled over the course of the year. According to the Ministry of Health, the NRW authorities have received 1,861 applications so far. At the end of December 2022, there were still around 830 applications. So far, 92 applications have been approved and 427 rejected. The responsible Rhineland and Westphalia-Lippe regional associations are currently still processing 1289 applications. In 53 cases, the applications were withdrawn by those affected. The recognition rate is just under five percent. So far, 57 cases are pending before the social courts.

According to the ministry, the most frequently cited vaccination injuries include sinus vein thrombosis, fatigue syndrome, Guillain-Barré syndrome and myocarditis. According to the ministry, the fact that only very few applications have been completed or decided positively to date is due to the fact that there is only a very limited number of experts. However, their expertise is indispensable for a decision in most cases. In addition, the scientific community currently only has incomplete knowledge of reliable links between the coronavirus vaccinations and individual disease patterns.

Weekly infection report from the State Health Center