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Germany’s health minister says 1 in 100 infected with virus

Germany’s health minister said Friday that more than 1 percent of the population — almost a million people — are currently infected with the coronavirus, and called on citizens to get vaccinated if they haven’t done so yet.

The country confirmed 74,352 new daily COVID-19 cases and 390 additional deaths, figures published by the federal disease control agency showed.

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According to the Robert Koch Institute’s calculations, some 925,800 people in Germany are considered actively infected with the virus.

Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that the number of unvaccinated residents who are infected and seriously ill is much higher than their share of the overall population.

“If all German adults were vaccinated, we wouldn’t be in this difficult situation,” he told reporters in Berlin.

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Spahn spoke a day after federal and state leaders announced tough new restrictions that largely target unvaccinated people, preventing them from entering nonessential stores, restaurants, sports and cultural venues.

The government also plans to submit a general vaccine mandate for parliament to consider. Government spokesman Steffen Seibert said lawmakers could vote on the issue in early January.

Spahn, who is likely to leave office next week when Germany’s new center-left government takes office, has opposed compulsory vaccination and made clear Friday that he would vote against the measure.

About 68.8 percent of people in Germany are fully vaccinated, while the government has set a minimum target of 75 percent. For the first time since the summer, more than 1 million doses were administered on a single day Wednesday.

Authorities in Berlin have banned a protest planned Saturday by opponents of the pandemic measures. Police in the capital said past demonstrations had shown that participants failed to abide by infection prevention rules, including refusing to wear masks.

Germany’s association for intensive care medicine, DIVI, has welcomed the newly agreed restrictions. But its head, Gernot Marx, told the dpa news agency that the number of COVID-19 patients treated in ICUs would likely reach a new record high over the festive period.

The head of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, cautioned that a plateau in new cases seen in some regions could be the result of labs and local health offices reaching the limits of what they can process.

“So it’s too early to read a trend reversal into this, much less to refrain from tougher measures,” he said.

Read more:

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New COVID-19 variant triggers global alarm as WHO urges caution

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Mubadala Health Dubai’s multipurpose gym a resounding success during Dubai Fitness Challenge

Mubadala Health Dubai, an M42 company, played a principal role in the recent Dubai Fitness Challenge (DFC 30×30) as the Association Partner at the DP World Kite Beach Fitness Village. The idea was to encourage people to adopt the habit of exercising for 30 minutes a day for 30 days. Located on the shorelines of Dubai’s Kite Beach, the state-of-the-art, three-tiered gym featured cardio-based workouts on the ground floor, high-intensity interval training (HIIT) on the first floor, and dedicated core and functional training on the second floor. Additionally, free daily classes led by Technogym Master Trainers were available to fitness enthusiasts. Other activities available at the Fitness Village included aerobics, boxing, yoga, rowing, padel, cricket, gymnastics and yoga sessions.
Although the DFC 30×30 has now concluded, Mubadala Health Dubai’s commitment to promoting an active lifestyle and fostering a fitness-focused mindset persists. Conveniently situated in Jumeirah, Mubadala Health Dubai’s Specialty Clinic & Day Surgery Center is home to a diverse team of internationally acclaimed experts, comprising orthopedic specialists, sports medicine professionals, physiotherapists, rehabilitation experts, nutritionists, weight management specialists and family medicine practitioners. Together, they guide and empower patients to pursue an active and healthy lifestyle through its comprehensive healthcare services for pediatrics, adults, and senior citizens.

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Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi achieves pioneering ACCME® accreditation milestone in the UAE

Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, part of the M42 network, has become one of the UAE’s pioneering healthcare organisations to receive Provisional Accreditation from the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME®). The accreditation acknowledges the hospital as a distinguished provider of Continuing Medical Education (CME), further empowering the institution to grant credits for local, regional, and international medical education programs, including the American Medical Association (AMA) Physician’s Recognition Award (PRA) Category 1 Credit™. Dr. Jorge Guzman, Chief Executive Officer of Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, expressed his
gratitude, stating, “This groundbreaking achievement is a testament to our steadfast
commitment to excellence in medical education and healthcare delivery. With this milestone
accreditation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi has set its sight on attracting a global audience of
medical education facilitators, organizers, and decision-makers, as we continue to set new
benchmarks and raise the bar, ensuring that the UAE remains at the forefront of medical
innovation and expertise. We will continue to focus on upskilling of local and global talent to
strengthen UAE’s positioning as a medical education hub.” The ACCME accreditation reinforces the commitment of CME providers to ensure that medical education remains fair, balanced, evidence-based, valid, relevant to clinicians’ needs, evaluated for its effectiveness, and free from any commercial influence. By achieving this designation, Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi strengthens its mission to ‘educate those who serve’ and solidifies its role in advancing medical knowledge with the highest standards of integrity. Dr. Sawsan Abdel-Razig, Chief Academic Officer at Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi, commented, “We are truly honored to be recognized as a leading ACCME-accredited organization in the UAE. Our Education Department designs robust, competency-based education and professional development programs that provide world-class healthcare education to current and future healthcare providers. This achievement further enhances Cleveland Clinic Abu Dhabi’s
reputation and its ability to build a sustainable healthcare sector in the UAE.”

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World News in Brief: Aid cut threat for Afghan deportees, saving Rohingya lives at sea, China respiratory illness spike, new rail transport treaty

Emergency support for thousands of Afghan families repatriated from Pakistan could dwindle due to a lack of funding as winter approaches, the World Food Programme (WFP) said on Thursday.

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