SHARE
COPY LINK

TECHNOLOGY

Germany gets ready to launch coronavirus tracing app

Germany's Health Minister Jens Spahn says a mobile phone app to help trace coronavirus infections in a bid to keep the spread under control will be made available to the public in the coming days.

Germany gets ready to launch coronavirus tracing app
Health Minister Jens Spahn. Photo: DPA

Alongside shutting down public life for around two months, Germany’s 'track and trace' system has played a huge role in slowing the spread of Covid-19 to stop it from overwhelming the country's health system.

And the rollout of an app, which would use bluetooth to alert smartphone users when they have been in contact with someone infected with the virus, is considered crucial in the fight against the pandemic as Germany continues to relax lockdown measures.

“We will present the app in the course of next week,” said Spahn in an interview with regional newspaper RP Online published on Monday June 8th.

The app has been in development since the pandemic hit Germany – however, Spahn said this time was needed to make sure the it functioned well, and on all smart phones.

The Health Minister said the app must meet strict requirements regarding data protection and energy efficiency.

“Nobody will use an app that drains a mobile phone's battery in a few hours,” he said.

INTERVIEW: How Germany is gearing up for virus tracing app

Containing virus is 'team game'

The German government has repeatedly stressed that the use of any coronavirus app would be voluntary and anonymous. It's an important message in a country still haunted by the spying of the Nazi era and the former East German secret police.

Authorities are hopeful, though, that people in Germany will sign up to it.

“If we convince a few million citizens of the app in the coming weeks, then I'll be satisfied,” Spahn said. “Containing the virus is a team game. Everyone who downloads the app will help.”

READ ALSO: Privacy-mad Germany turns to app to track coronavirus spread

The federal government plans to promote the use of the app in a broad campaign.

It was originally hoped that the app would be ready at the end of April. But there were delays after the government switched to using technology supported by Google and Apple, ditching a German-led alternative that had come under fire over privacy concerns.

Why use an app?

By making the app available to the public, the government wants to better recognise coronavirus infection chains, and ensure that the spread of Covid-19 does not get out of control.

If a user tests positive for Covid-19 and this status is recorded in the app, other users would be informed that they had been near an infected person.

Experts have said they are hopeful people in Germany accept the introduction of the app which would help the country return to some degree of normality while keeping the virus under control.

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?

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