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ANGELA MERKEL

‘Unacceptable’: Possible Merkel successor under fire over eastern European coronavirus claims

A leading candidate to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel sparked a row Friday after he accused eastern Europeans of importing new coronavirus cases to Germany.

Published: 19 June 2020 12:15 CEST
'Unacceptable': Possible Merkel successor under fire over eastern European coronavirus claims
Armin Laschet on June 17th. Photo: DPA

Armin Laschet is the premier of Germany's most populous state of North Rhine-Westphalia, where more than 700 people have tested positive for COVID-19 after an outbreak at a slaughterhouse in the Gütersloh district.

Asked on Wednesday what the new outbreak says about the lifting of restrictions to dampen transmission in the state, Laschet replied: “It says nothing at all about that, because Romanians and Bulgarians went in there and that is where the virus comes from.”

He later attempted to back track on the comments, telling the Rheinische Post that he was merely highlighting the risks of international travel and it was unacceptable “to blame people of any origin for the virus”.

Critics have rounded on Laschet, with Foreign Minister Heiko Maas, who was visiting Sofia on Thursday, calling them “highly dangerous” and demanding an apology.

Maas' Bulgarian counterpart Ekaterina Zaharieva also called the comments “unacceptable”.

“The virus doesn't know borders. Bulgarians contribute a lot to the economy of North Rhine-Westphalia,” she said.

For Lars Klingbeil, general secretary of the Social Democrats, the junior partners in Merkel's coalition government, the comments were “scandalous” and should put a lid of Laschet's political ambitions.

“Anyone who argues in this way, who stirs up resentment in this way, who divides, is not fit to run for chancellor — and certainly not fit to be chancellor,” he told Bild Live.

Merkel's conservative CDU party is set to elect a new leader at the end of 2020.

READ ALSO: From 'avenger' to 'anti-Merkel': Who could be Germany's next chancellor?

Laschet is a prime candidate, having thrown his hat in the ring when the chancellor's hand-picked successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer stepped down earlier this year.

Running against him for the CDU top job is corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz.

The winner would in turn be well placed to lead Merkel's centre-right CDU-CSU bloc into general elections in autumn next year.

But another challenge for the chancellor's post could still come from the CDU's Bavarian sister party CSU, whose leader Markus Söder is seen as a hopeful.

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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

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