In schools, there are currently again significantly more frequent Corona outbreaks. That's according to the Robert Koch Institute's weekly report, released Thursday evening. "After a brief decline during the fall vacations, a very rapid increase is now observed." According to the report, 1265 outbreaks were last reported within four weeks, it said. However, the past two weeks are not yet assessable, it said. On average, younger students are affected more often than older students.

Currently, the number of school outbreaks is "very significantly" above the peak level of the second wave. In early November, he said, about three times more outbreaks per week were being reported than at this time last year. "The easier transmissibility of the delta variant and also expanded testing activities are likely playing a role in the increased outbreak frequency, with infections, even asymptomatic ones, being detected early."

According to the RKI, children and adolescents accounted for a particularly large number of positive Corona detections in the fourth Corona wave. For example, the seven-day incidence in the week ending last Sunday was more than twice as high among 5- to 9-year-olds (829) and among 10- to 14-year-olds (921) as the population average (414). However, schoolchildren are also particularly likely to be tested for Corona.

Despite the rapid increase in the number of infections, the RKI did not initially change its general risk assessment. The risk for those who have not been vaccinated or have only been vaccinated once continues to be classified as "very high," while the risk for those who have been fully vaccinated is "moderate" but increases as the number of infections rises.

Furthermore, the RKI considers the development to be "very worrying". It is to be feared that "the available intensive medical treatment capacities will be exceeded". It is imperative "to stay at home if symptoms of an emerging respiratory illness occur, such as a cold, sore throat or cough (regardless of vaccination status), contact the family doctor's office and have a PCR test performed," the RKI writes.

According to RKI figures, unvaccinated people are hospitalized with a Corona infection many times more frequently than fully vaccinated people. For example, the so-called hospitalization incidence (hospitalizations per 100,000 people and week) was most recently 5.25 times higher among unvaccinated than vaccinated people in the age group 60 and older. Among 18- to 59-year-olds, the factor was 6.75, and among 12- to 17-year-olds, 6.33.If a fully vaccinated person falls ill with corona, it is called a vaccine breakthrough. In general, the more people who are vaccinated, the more vaccine breakthroughs there can be.

According to the RKI data, 46.4 percent of people 60 and older in intensive care units were fully vaccinated in a four-week period most recently. It should be noted that nearly nine out of ten people in this age group are fully vaccinated.Accordingly, among those aged 18 to 59, 15.3 percent of ICU patients were fully vaccinated; the majority of critically ill patients in this age group were unvaccinated. Incompletely vaccinated patients were not included in this calculation.The RKI observes that vaccine effectiveness declines over time. "This mainly concerns effectiveness against symptomatic infection and more clearly the age group of 60 years and older." Further, for fully vaccinated individuals of all ages, very good vaccine protection against severe disease can be assumed, it said.