Read news from:
Austria
SHARE
COPY LINK

PANDEMIC

VIDEO – ‘We stayed on our asses’: Germany hails courage of young ‘heroes’ who fought 2020 pandemic

The German government has credited the country's 'heroic' youth with having the courage to do what was needed to fight the 2020 coronavirus pandemic: 'absolutely nothing'. Who said Germans had no sense of humour?

Published: 15 November 2020 14:23 CET
VIDEO - 'We stayed on our asses': Germany hails courage of young 'heroes' who fought 2020 pandemic
Image from the German federal government's coronavirus video, 15 November 2020.

The German federal government released the 1.35-minute video online on Saturday and called it  “#specialheroes — Together against corona.”

A Twitter user has since posted an English translated version of the ad.

The short video begins with an elderly man recalling his “service” to the nation in the winter of 2020, when he was 22 years old and wanted to ” party, study, get to know people, go for drinks with friends.”

As dramatic music plays underneath the narrative, he recalls how “fate had different plans for us.”

“So we mustered all our courage and did what was expected of us, the only right thing. We did nothing. Absolutely nothing. Being as lazy as raccoons,'' he says in a serious tone.

“Days and nights, we stayed on our asses at home and fought against the spread of the coronavirus,'' he continues, as his younger self is seen slumped on a sofa eating junk food.

The video ends with him saying, “Looking back, this was our fate…This is how we became heroes.”

A government message then reads: “You too can become a hero by staying at home.''

The response on twitter has been largely positive, with many praising the video for its effective use of humour to send a message. 

Others didn't see the funny side and were critical of the video for making light of the financial and health implications of having to stay at home during the pandemic.

There is also second version of the advert, where the man's wife talks about the experience from her point of view, with the key message “special times require special heroes.”

Germany has registered a total of 790,503 coronavirus cases and 12,485 deaths, according to the Robert Koch Institute disease control centre.

Economy Minister Peter Altmaier said on Sunday, that the country may see four to five more months of coronavirus restrictions, dashing hopes of a quick end to a partial lockdown introduced two weeks ago.

READ MORE: Is Germany set to tighten shutdown measures?

Member comments

  1. It is very fitting. We all sat on our asses & watched PornHub & Netflix while we were robbed and the whole world was fooled into believing in this lie, while our freedoms were stripped of us. Yeah, well done humanity, future generations will pay for our failing.

  2. And what did you do during the pandemic? Sat at your keyboard spreading conspiracy theories? You must be proud of your heroic contribution to humanity’s wellbeing.

  3. @Nick if you did your own research & didn’t blindly follow the main stream narrative, you would discover that it is a conspiracy alright, but not a theory.

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