ARCHIV - 17.06.2022, Berlin: Karl Lauterbach (SPD), Bundesminister für Gesundheit, spricht bei einer Pressekonferenz zur Corona-Lage im Sommer in der Bundespressekonferenz. (zu dpa: «Lauterbach empfiehlt vierte Corona-Impfung auch unter 60 Jahren») Foto: Michael Kappeler/dpa +++ dpa-Bildfunk +++

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach warns of a “catastrophic” corona development in Germany if no suitable measures to combat the virus are decided before autumn.

“If we went into autumn like we are now, without further protective measures, without masks, without anything, then that would mean that the number of cases would rise sharply, but the intensive care units would also be overloaded,” said the SPD politician on Thursday ( local time) during a visit to the US capital Washington by the German Press Agency.

At the same time, staff in the clinics would also be absent. “It’s like a candle that burns at both ends,” says Lauterbach. The staff burn away downstairs and the patients upstairs.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the nationwide seven-day incidence on Friday morning at 729.3. The health authorities in Germany recently reported 107,819 new corona infections (previous week: 109,694) and 113 deaths (previous week: 115) to the RKI within one day.

However, this information only provides a very incomplete picture of the number of infections: For some time now, experts have been assuming that there is a high number of cases not recorded by the RKI – mainly because by far not all infected people have a PCR test done. Only positive PCR tests count in the statistics. In addition, late registrations or transmission problems can lead to the distortion of individual daily values.

Lauterbach emphasized: “We need measures, that’s clear. But that is not in dispute either, we will be prepared. ”He did not want to go into possible measures, there are confidential negotiations, for example with the FDP-led Ministry of Justice.

The current measures expired on September 23, by then the government would have decided on new ones, said Lauterbach. With a view to the second booster vaccination, he warned: “The elderly cannot take the risk of waiting for an adapted vaccine, which will come sometime in September or October, given the high number of cases that we now have.”