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Bavarian leader Söder has ‘stomach ache’ over Super Cup coronavirus fears

Bavarian state premier Markus Söder said Monday he was getting a "stomach ache" over fears that this week's UEFA Super Cup final in Hungary could become the next coronavirus superspreader event.

Published: 21 September 2020 17:30 CEST

Bavarian leader Söder has 'stomach ache' over Super Cup coronavirus fears

Söder speaking in Munich on Monday. Photo: DPA

Budapest is playing host to the Super Cup on Thursday between Champions
League winners Bayern Munich and European League holders Sevilla.

But Germany has declared Budapest a risk-zone, after new infections there
climbed above the threshold of 50 new cases per 100,000 people.

“We must be very, very careful that we don't risk a new form of football-Ischgl,” said Söder, referring to the Austrian ski resort where thousands of holidaymakers were infected with the virus at the beginning of the epidemic in Europe.

READ ALSO: 'Numbers are too high': Munich tightens coronavirus mask rules and contact restrictions

Around 20,000 spectators will be allowed to watch the match at the Puskas
Arena, which usually has a capacity of 67,000.

Bayern fans are due to travel with some 3,000 tickets allocated to each of
the competing clubs.

But Söder warned that it would “not be sensible” to head to the Hungarian capital.

“I really get a stomach ache when it comes to the Super Cup,” he said.

“We cannot risk having 2,000, 3,000 people, who are then possibly in each others' arms in celebrations, and then we will have an enormous infection wave,” cautioned Söder.

Bayern head coach Hansi Flick has also voiced doubts about the game.

“It is something that one can't quite understand,” he said about the unnecessary risks put on his team.

Hungary in September closed its borders to foreigners in a bid to limit the spread of Covid-19.

The only exceptions to the arrivals ban are players and spectators of international sporting and cultural events.

UEFA had said last Thursday they were in talks with Bayern over the final after Germany's travel warning to the Hungarian capital.

READ ALSO: Germany's Bundesliga: 'All clubs' preparing to host fans for new season

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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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