The Robert Koch Institut (RKI), responsible for Covid reporting in Germany, did it again. Until April 28th, 2022, their weekly reports contained a section on vaccine efficacy. Since May 5th, these sections are gone, and this explanation is what we get instead:
Ab dem 5.5.2022 sind im COVID-19-Wochenbericht des RKI keine regelmäßigen Informationen zur Wirksamkeit der COVID-19-Imfpung mehr vorgesehen, stattdessen wird das RKI in regelmäßigen Abständen eigene Auswertungen zum Themenkomplex COVID-19-Impfung/Impfeffektivität veröffentlichen, die eine detailliertere Betrachtung einzelner Aspekte erlauben als im Rahmen des Wochenberichts möglich.
Translation:
From May 5th, 2022, the weekly report will not contain information about Covid vaccine efficacy anymore. Instead, the RKI will, in regular intervals, publish separate evaluations around Covid vaccines and vaccine efficacy, which will allow for more detailed consideration of single aspects than would be possible in the weekly report.
Dear RKI, I am waiting… the “regular interval” seems to be at least two months. I also have no idea why it would not be possible to discuss these matters in the weekly report. There is almost no limit to the number of pages in a pdf, you know.
At least there was still reporting on the DIVI figures regarding vaccine status of Covid patients (which means patients with positive test) on ICU. But that one has also been missing for two weeks now, with another brilliant explanation:
Im Zuge einer Umstellung der Impfabfrage im Intensivregister kann der Impfstatus der COVID-19-Patientinnen und -Patienten auf Intensivstation zeitweilig nicht bereitgestellt werden. Sobald wieder genügend Daten für eine stabile Auswertung erfasst sind, werden die Zahlen der neuen Abfrage wie gewohnt an dieser Stelle berichtet.
Translation:
Due to changes in the query, it is currently impossible to report on the vaccination status of Covid ICU patients. As soon as enough data for stable evaluation are available, the results will be reported on in this place, as usual.
Dear RKI, I am waiting… if this Covid thing is really such a big deal, wouldn’t it have been a good idea to think before changing a query, maybe ensuring downward compatibility?
Of course, all this can’t have to do anything with the numbers, can it?
The horizontal axis refers to four-week averages starting with that calendar week (so the last data point available is for calendar weeks 19 to 22). The vertical axis shows vaccination rates among ICU patients. The RKI stopped its own reporting after calendar weeks 13-16, when around 52% of patients in their subsample had been vaccinated at least twice (and 43% had received a booster; not contained in diagram). The DIVI figures have been climbing all the time (the easter week is missing), with reporting having been brought to a halt at the point where 84% of patients had at least had one shot or a previous infection, 77% had had two doses, and 52% a booster.
Population-level rates for one, two and three doses are 78%, 76%, and 62%. After adjusting for age (75% of ICU Covid patients are 60+), I would expect to see around 90%, 89% and 80% for a placebo vaccine.
But the RKI denied before them all, saying, I know not what thou sayest.
Is there a way to file a FOIA-like request to RKI/DIVI? It is beyond appalling that the media and opposition politicians are not digging in there.