© dpa
After a long period without any reported new infections, new Monkeypox cases were once again registered in Berlin in the first week of the year.
Senator for Health Ulrike Gote reported on the topic on Thursday in the Berlin House of Representatives. "We now had the latest two cases in the first calendar week of 2023," the Green Party politician said. Before that, cases had last been reported to the Robert Koch Institute in the week ending Nov. 13, 2022.
"As of January 10, a total of 1669 cases have been registered in Berlin so far. This is the highest number of registered cases in Germany, a large, large proportion of all cases in Germany," Gote said. Thanks in part to a successful vaccination campaign, however, there has been a sharp decline in cases not only in Berlin, but also throughout Germany and Europe, he added.
However, there were problems with vaccinations in Berlin at the beginning of the year, Gote admitted. A contract with the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians had not been renewed in time at the end of the year - an error with a direct impact on vaccinations. "We actually had a period of eight working days where we couldn't offer vaccinations, from Jan. 2 until yesterday," Gote said. "As of yesterday, we've been able to vaccinate again."
Senator Gote apologized for the situation duriogn her speech on Thursday. Among the reasons Gote cited were the holidays, vacations and a high level of sick leave in her department. "There was never any thought of stopping or reducing vaccination in any way, quite the opposite," she said. The new contract has since been signed, she said, and as of Wednesday, vaccination can resume at all 33 participating sites.