Coronavirus case numbers are spiking in Germany - and the trend is now noticeable in hospitals too. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has warned of the growing risk of infection and urged people to reduce their contacts and get vaccinated. 

RKI urges people to reduce contacts and get vaccinated

“With the current seven-day incidence rate, there is an increasing likelihood of infectious contacts,” the RKI wrote in its latest weekly report, adding that it therefore “strongly recommended” that people get vaccinated against COVID-19 to protect themselves. “This year’s case numbers are significantly higher than in the same period last year,” the report warned. 

Incidence rates are currently rising across all age groups in Germany. A particularly significant spike has occurred among elderly people above the age of 90: the weekly incidence rate for this age group recently rose from 63 to 108 in just a week. 

The institute said that all eligible groups should make use of the offer of a booster shot, and anyone with mild symptoms should stay home and get tested - even if they are fully vaccinated. Unnecessary contacts should be reduced, and hygiene and distance regulations should be strictly adhered to, the RKI wrote. 

In the report, the RKI also compared the respective COVID incidence rates among the unvaccinated and fully-vaccinated sections of the population, concluding that both the weekly incidence of cases with symptoms and the incidence of hospital admissions were much lower for vaccinated individuals. The institute therefore concluded that the risk of infection for vaccinated people is “moderate," while the risk for unvaccinated people is “high."

Rising number of patients in intensive care in German hospitals

The news comes just after the German Hospital Association (DKG) sounded the alarm that the country had entered a “critical pandemic situation." Hospitals in Germany reported a 40 percent increase in occupied beds over the last week, with a 15 percent increase in the number of patients in intensive care. “If this development continues, we will have 3.000 patients in intensive care again in just two weeks,” said Gerard Gass, board chairperson of the DKG. 

The Marburger Bund union of doctors also warned that the healthcare system could soon face drastic bottlenecks due to rising patient numbers. “I do not want to see operations having to be cancelled once again because of COVID-19,” said chairperson Susanne Johne to the Funke Media Group.