Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

HEALTH

UPDATE: Five new coronavirus cases confirmed in western Germany

Five new cases of the coronavirus have been confirmed in the states of Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia between Tuesday evening and Wednesday afternoon.

Published: 26 February 2020 16:37 CET
UPDATE: Five new coronavirus cases confirmed in western Germany
A sign outside of the school in Heinsberg states it's closed on Wednesday. Photo: DPA

On Tuesday evening, two new cases of the coronavirus were confirmed in Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia – both marking the first incidents in the two western states.

An additional three cases case was confirmed on Wednesday afternoon: one in North Rhine-Westphalia and two in Baden-Württemberg. 

The condition of the first coronavirus patient in North Rhine-Westphalia remained critical as of Wednesday, according to a Ministry of Health spokesperson.

On Monday, the 47-year-old man – who showed symptoms of severe pneumonia – was admitted to a hospital in the Heinsberg district near Aachen and isolated in the intensive care unit. 

READ ALSO: How concerned should German residents be about the spread of the coronavirus?

On Tuesday evening, he was brought to the university hospital in Düsseldorf. The patient suffers from a pre-existing condition.

A man with an umbrella stands outside the hospital Wednesday where the first two coronavirus patients in North Rhine-Westphalia are being treated. Photo: DPA

The man had reportedly been in contact with an acquaintance who had recently been in China on business, according to local newspaper Aachener Zeitung. 

On Wednesday afternoon, it was also confirmed that the wife of the man had been infected with the virus, said the hospital in a statement.

As a precautionary measure, schools and kitas in the Heinsberg district, as well as all public offices, were to close on Wednesday.

The kindergarten in which the man's wife works in the small municipality of Gangelt was also to remain closed for an undetermined amount of time.

Returnee from Milan

The patient from Baden-Württemberg is a 25-year-old man from the district of Göppingen, about 40 kilometres away from Stuttgart, according to the state health ministry on Tuesday. He is reported to have contracted the disease during a trip to Milan.

After his return home, the patient had fallen ill with flu-like symptoms and had contacted the local health department. He was to be isolated and treated in a clinic on Tuesday evening.

On Wednesday afternoon, two additional coronavirus cases were also confirmed: a 24-year-old woman from nearby Tübingen and her father. The girl is reportedly a friend of the infected traveller. 

In Germany, the first infections with coronavirus had mostly occurred at a company in Bavaria, but also among returnees from Wuhan. However, these cases did not lead to further known infections.

READ ALSO: Coronavirus in Bavaria: How the German state is dealing with the spread of the virus

Following the two confirmed coronavirus cases in Baden-Württemberg and North Rhine-Westphalia, local authorities are discussing how to proceed. 

Talks are planned for Wednesday to assess the situation and plan the next steps, a spokesperson for the Ministry of Health in North Rhine-Westphalia told dpa early Wednesday morning.

The Ministry of Health in Baden-Württemberg could not yet be reached for a statement.

Member comments

Log in here to leave a comment.
Become a Member to leave a comment.

HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

SHOW COMMENTS