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The rise in omicron in most German states is expected to rise nationwide, according to Reuters

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© Reuters. PHOTO: A doctor administers a booster dose of Moderna COVID-19 vaccine, Spikevax, coronavirus disease at a vaccination center in Berlin, Germany, on January 1, 2022. REUTERS / Michele Tantussi

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Author: Riham Alkousaa

BERLIN (Reuters) – The North German state of Bremen has the highest COVID-19 vaccine rate in the country, but the rapid spread of the Omicron variant has been the most affected, with the highest infection rate in any region. Germany.

Experts say the rise in Bremen could herald the direction of the whole of Germany in the coming days.

The seven-day infection rate in Bremen was 800 cases per 100,000 population on Thursday, the highest in Germany and more than double the national rate of 303, according to the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI).

“I assume Bremen is a little ahead of other federal states,” said Hajo Zeeb of the Leibniz Institute for Prevention Research and Epidemiology in Bremen.

He said he hoped many German federal states would report similar infection rates in Bremen in the coming days.

German leaders will discuss how to respond to the Omicron variant later on Friday, with measures to shorten COVID-19 self-isolation periods as fears increase the number of cases due to fears that critical services could be disrupted.

The location near Bremen in the Netherlands and Denmark, where Omicron has already become a major variant, could be a reason for a higher infection rate in the state, Zeeb said.

Omicron currently accounts for more than 85% of Bremen’s coronavirus infections, well above the national figure of around 44%, RKI said on Thursday.

Also, the city may have been successful in incorporating most of its residents early last year.

“There may be a bigger vaccine gap now a little later (with the vaccine) than others,” he said.

Studies have shown that protection against Omicron decreases over several months and increases again after a recovery shot.

About 84% of the population of Bremen, the smallest of the 16 federal states in Germany with a population of less than 700,000, receive a double vaccine, compared to a national figure of around 72%. About 44% received a booster shot, 42% nationally.

Bremen is a more accurate representation of real German figures, where coronavirus testing did not slow down as it did in many other regions during the holiday season, Zeeb added.

Last week, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said that the number of new cases was underestimated and that the actual incidence rate of infections was two to three times higher than officially reported.

On Thursday, the state government imposed further restrictions to reduce infections, including requiring a quick negative test or proof of a booster shot to enter restaurants or cultural events, in addition to proving a double vaccine.

Despite a record infection rate in Bremen, state hospitals were not as burdened as in the first three waves of the pandemic, as patients infected with the new variant had milder symptoms, said Bremen health spokesman Lukas Fuhrmann.

Doctors say hospital conditions could soon worsen and non-intensive care units were overloaded with patients with milder lung symptoms.

The incidence of seven days of hospitalization in the city of Bremen on Thursday was 13.6 cases per 100,000 people, three times the national incidence of about 3.

“The situation is definitely a nightmare,” said Felix Diekmann of Bremen’s St. Petersburg. Medical Director of Joseph-Stift Hospital. Even if the situation is still managed, the city may have to send COVID-19 patients to other states if they run out of intensive care beds, he said.


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