Major events could be possible again in Germany as early as August. A corresponding draft was discussed by the heads of the state and senate chancelleries on Tuesday. This was announced by Berlin as the current chair of the Conference of Minister Presidents. It should be ready in time for the start of the Bundesliga season in August. Despite all concerns about the Delta variant, the states then want to allow large sporting events with up to 25 000 spectators again.

25,000 tested, vaccinated and recovered people are to be given access to the stadium with a personalized ticket. The new regulation still has to be transposed into the respective state law. Bavaria is planning a special limit of 20,000 spectators. For cultural events, too, depending on state regulations and with an appropriate hygiene and contact tracking concept, events "with more than 5,000 people present at the same time" are to be possible again. An upper limit has not yet been specified. The new regulation is initially planned from August and until September 11.

In German laboratories, almost half of all Corona findings examined are now due to the delta variant. This was announced by the Association of Accredited Laboratories in Medicine (ALM) on Tuesday (July 6). According to the report, the delta proportion in the data collection for the week ending July 4 was 47 percent. The association called the increase "in line with expectations."The ALM figures are roughly in line with the RKI's assessment last week. It is to be expected, it said, that the delta variant "accounts for at least half of all new infections," the RKI wrote, referring to the week ending July 4. Updated data from the RKI are expected Wednesday evening.

Baden-Württemberg wants to consider tougher action against so-called vaccination truants - people who do not attend an agreed Corona vaccination appointment and do not cancel it either. "This is unsolidaric and irresponsible towards those who want to be vaccinated," said Minister President Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) in Stuttgart on Tuesday.

The effort to create the legal basis for a penalty is gigantic, he said. The federal government would have to take care of that. However, Kretschmann said that the state government would examine whether vaccination truants were liable to pay compensation for costs incurred - especially if vaccine had to be destroyed.

Kretschmann, like world medical chief Montgomery, questioned whether herd immunity can be achieved given the spread of the delta variant. Therefore, he said, it is important for everyone to get vaccinated. "Otherwise, we won't be able to stop the pandemic at all," Kretschmann said. "Vaccination is the only tool we have to bring the pandemic to its knees."Testing is not necessarily a full substitute for Corona vaccination, in the view of the Baden-Württemberg premier. The results of the antigen tests would be more uncertain with the Delta variant. "That's where everyone has to reckon with the fact that if they're not vaccinated, they simply won't be able to take advantage of certain facilities." Kretschmann said that is currently under review.

Herd immunity against the coronavirus is "not achievable in the short term." That's what World Medical Association President Frank Ulrich Montgomery told Funke media July 6. The proportion of vaccinated and recovered would have to be around 85 percent, according to new calculation models, Montgomery said."The ten percent who won't get vaccinated for the life of them will achieve immunity by going through a disease," the World Medical Association chief explained. That will happen, he said, "if we drop all precautions."

The key to success against the virus is to maximize vaccination coverage, Montgomery said. To do that, he said, vaccination skeptics need to be convinced and incentives need to be put in place to get more people vaccinated. "But I don't think we can do away with the mask completely."The German Society for Immunology, meanwhile, assumes that herd immunity cannot be achieved without vaccinating children and adolescents. That said their vice president Reinhold Förster, also the Funke newspapers on Tuesday. For the time being, the Standing Commission on Vaccination (Stiko) has not issued a general vaccination recommendation for children over the age of twelve.The nationwide 7-day incidence in new Corona infections has fallen slightly again. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), it is currently at 4.9. On Sunday and Monday, the value had been reported at 5.0, on Saturday at 4.9. 440 new Corona infections were registered within 24 hours, as well as 31 deaths related to the virus.However, the proportion of infections with the delta variant doubled again to now 37 percent, according to preliminary figures from the third week of June.

Image by Pete Linforth