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HEALTH

German lifeguard service: ‘Coronavirus won’t stop guards saving drowning swimmers’

A recent report that lifeguards had been told it was up to them to make a judgement call on saving drowning people during the pandemic caused concern among readers. We talked to the lifeguard service to set the record straight.

German lifeguard service: 'Coronavirus won't stop guards saving drowning swimmers'
DLRG guards on the beach in Lower Saxony. Photo: DPA

“We are in a moral dilemma here,” a lifeguard at the Baltic resort of Travermünde told DPA news agency on Saturday. 

“We have to keep our distance so as not to endanger ourselves and others, but with a distance of 1.50 metres it is difficult to save someone from drowning.” 

The DPA report stated that: “Ultimately, each guard has to decide for himself what risk he wants to take.”

Understandably this led to some anxiety and confusion among readers.

“As if somebody drowning really cares about getting Corona from the ones saving him…,” one reader commented on Facebook. 

Another said: “If that’s a dilemma, you really shouldn’t be a lifeguard!”

Swimming in Germany 'definitely not more dangerous' this year

Achim Wiese, spokesperson for the German Life Guards Association (DLRG), told the Local there was no need to worry about lifeguards not rescuing you due to fear about catching coronavirus.

“Ultimately it is always the choice of a lifeguard as to whether he saves someone in trouble in the water,” said Wiese.

“In a normal summer, if we raise a red flag – which signals a strong current or an impending storm – and someone goes swimming anyway, then the lifeguard has to make a judgement call. But I don’t know anyone who wouldn’t rescue the person,” he said.

Wiese confirmed that there are new rules that have been put in place to try and maintain social distancing between guards and swimmers. Lifeguards are now encouraged to use boats more in rescues or to swim out with boards so that the swimmer can lie on the board instead of being carried by the guard.

“We also ask the guards before they go on duty if they are prepared to take the risk of coming into close contact with people who need to be rescued. If they say no then we don’t put them on the beach this year,” Wiese said.

Swimming in German seas “is definitely not more dangerous” this year than in any other year, he said, “that is as long as you stick to swimming on beaches where lifeguards are watching the water”.

According to the DLRG, 192 people drowned in Germany in the first seven months of the year, 63 more than in the same period last year. 

The main reasons for the drowning, according to the data, were bathing on unguarded beaches, alcohol, carelessness and overestimation of one's own capabilities.

READ MORE: German lifeguards face moral dilemma during pandemic

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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?

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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