The rise in seven-day incidence in Germany, now almost two weeks old, continues. The Robert Koch Institute reported the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants at 113 on Tuesday morning. For comparison: The day before, the value was 110.1 and a week ago it was 75.1. Within one day, the health offices in Germany reported 10,473 new infections to the Robert Koch Institute. A week ago, the figure was 6,771. The number of people who died from, or with the involvement of a proven infection with Sars-CoV-2, rose to 95,245. The hospitalisation rate - the most important parameter for a possible tightening of the restrictions - was given by the Robert Koch Institute on Tuesday with 2.95.

A total of 66.3 percent of people in Germany are fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus. That is about 55.1 million people, according to data released by the Robert Koch Institute on Tuesday. According to the data, about 76.8 percent of all adults and 40.3 percent of adolescents between 12 and 17 have full vaccination protection. Almost 57.5 million people (or 69.2 percent of the total population) have been vaccinated against Coronavirus at least once. A good 1.6 million people have received a booster vaccination so far.

In view of rising Corona numbers, Belgium is considering reintroducing protective measures. The Belgian government and representatives of the regions wanted to decide on Tuesday about restrictions on public life, but a lockdown was not up for discussion. Instead, authorities could extend a requirement for protective masks and proof of vaccination. Corona measures were relaxed in Belgium only a few weeks ago.

The number of new infections per day rose by 75 percent last week to an average of 5,299. Hospital admissions increased by 69 percent to 102 per day. The number of deaths also increased slightly to an average of 13 per day. In view of the development, the planned meeting between the government and regional representatives was brought forward by three days.

In Bonn, the incidence has risen again. On Tuesday, the value was 53.8, the city announced on its website. On Monday, it was still at 50.5. 178 new infections were recorded in Bonn in the last seven days. This means that 272 people are currently considered to be infected. There are currently 40 people in Bonn's hospitals who have contracted COVID-19. Of these, 22 are being cared for in normal wards, 18 are in intensive care and ten of these are being ventilated. In the Rhein-Sieg district, meanwhile, the incidence value has risen further to 60.8. According to the North Rhine-Westphalia State Centre for Health, 86 people have been newly infected with the Coronavirus since yesterday. According to this, about 960 people are considered to be infected.

Germany has lost about 4,000 intensive care beds since the beginning of the year. The reason for this is that many nurses have quit their jobs or reduced their hours because of the strain, said the president of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine, Gernot Marx, on "MDR Aktuell" on Tuesday. He added that it would be possible to care for all Covid 19 patients. "But if the numbers go up significantly again, we will cancel operations again. Of course, that is not what we want." With about 1,600 Covid 19 patients in intensive care units, the situation is currently manageable, Marx added. However, it is known that the virus will spread more strongly again in autumn and winter. Accordingly, an increase is expected in winter. "That already worries us." With regard to the phasing out of the Corona emergency in Germany envisaged by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU), Marx said, "There is already a high risk that the rate of infections can increase significantly." Therefore, appropriate measures are needed in any case.

From November 8, those foreigners who have been fully vaccinated against the Coronavirus with internationally recognised preparations will be able to travel to the USA again. Vaccines that have received approval or emergency approval from the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) or the World Health Organisation (WHO) will be accepted, the White House announced in Washington on Monday. This currently applies to the preparations of Biontech/Pfizer, AstraZeneca, Moderna, Johnson&Johnson, Sinopharm and Sinovac. Travellers must prove their vaccination status to the respective airline before boarding a plane to the USA, it was added. The prerequisite is a complete vaccination against the Coronavirus.

People are considered fully vaccinated at least two weeks after receiving their last required shot. The White House stressed that a combination of two different vaccines would also be accepted here - as long as the preparations were approved by the FDA or the WHO. There are only a few exceptions to the vaccination requirement for international travellers, for example for children or people who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons. US citizens are exempt from the vaccination requirements for entry anyway. (Original text: ga/dpa / Translation: Mareike Graepel)