Decline of Corona infections among daycare children, as per Giffey
Berlin – Federal Minister for Families, Franziska Giffey (SPD), remains steadfast in her decision to keep kindergartens open in response to the latest COVID-19 infection figures. In the demographic of individuals aged zero to five, the average number of new infections nationwide stands at 59 per 100,000 inhabitants over a seven-day period, Giffey stated prior to a meeting of the Corona-Kita Council on Friday, as reported by the Funke media group's newspapers.
The infection trend is, on the whole, declining. Over 90% of kindergartens are currently operational, Giffey disclosed, citing figures that indicate only 5.8% of kindergartens have been closed due to infections, either partially or comprehensively. "It was the right decision to prioritize keeping kindergartens open," she asserted. "Kindergartens are not primary transmission sites for the virus."
Per Giffey, virus outbreaks in kindergartens are typically traced back to educators, auxiliary staff, and parents. She emphasized that professionals in child daycare should be among the first groups to be offered the COVID-19 vaccine, given their high exposure risk and inability to protect themselves effectively. "Facial expressions are crucial in engaging with young children," Giffey noted, "which makes it challenging to consistently wear personal protective equipment like masks."
In light of the pandemic, Giffey welcomed the recent opportunity for educators to regularly conduct rapid COVID-19 tests. This, she stated, is a vital component in controlling the pandemic and in ensuring occupational and health safety.
Regarding international studies, kindergartens in Korea exhibited a much lower proportion of COVID-19 cases (accounting for 3% of schools) compared to primary and secondary schools. Transmission within these settings was primarily linked to households rather than the schools themselves.
In the context of stronger adult vaccination rates and mandatory frequent rapid testing, the infection rate in German schools has shown stabilization, with schools playing a reduced role in the spread of the virus. Given this, it is reasonable to assume that kindergartens, too, are implementing similar testing and vaccination protocols to help mitigate COVID-19 transmission, although specific data pertaining to German kindergarten staff's vaccination plans were not found in the available search results.
- Health officials in Germany, following international examples like Korea, may consider implementing regular COVID-19 tests and vaccination programs for kindergarten staff to strengthen health-and-wellness measures.
- As part of policy-and-legislation decisions regarding education-and-self-development, the German government should prioritize offering the COVID-19 vaccine to professionals in child daycare due to their high exposure risk, as suggested by Federal Minister for Families, Franziska Giffey.
- With a decreasing infection trend, experts in general-news and politics are keen to observe the impact of frequent rapid testing and stronger vaccination rates among adults on the COVID-19 cases in German kindergartens, which, according to Giffey, have shown a lower proportion of infections compared to primary and secondary schools.
