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Germany’s Health Minister promises more freedom to those fully vaccinated

Health Minister Jens Spahn has said that people in Germany who have received both doses of a Covid-19 vaccine could get certain freedoms back over the next few weeks.

Published: 4 April 2021 13:30 CEST

Germany's Health Minister promises more freedom to those fully vaccinated

Could people in Germany get back some freedom after being fully vaccinated? (Photo by LENNART PREISS / AFP)

“Those who have been vaccinated can go into society or to the hairdresser without any further testing. People who are fully vaccinated also no longer need to quarantine, according to the Robert Koch Institute,” Spahn told Bild am Sonntag.

Based on the latest scientific findings, the RKI claims that those who are fully vaccinated against Covid-19 (after receiving two doses) are no longer able to pass the virus on.

Germany’s state premiers had requested the German public health body’s analysis of when and if including vaccinated people in testing concepts “may become obsolete”.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Why has Germany restricted the use of AstraZeneca in under 60s?

The RKI report was sent to the federal states yesterday, the paper reported.

Bild am Sonntag had sight of the RKI report sent to Spahn’s department, which said, “According to the current state of knowledge, from the 15th day after the second vaccination dose at the latest, the risk of virus transmission by a person who has been fully vaccinated is less than that of a negative rapid antigen test in an asymptomatic infected person.”

READ ALSO: GPs in Germany call for vaccines to be given according to health not age

“Anyone who has been fully vaccinated can in future be treated like someone who has tested negative,” Spahn added.

“We will now put these findings into practice in discussions with the federal states in a timely manner,” the CDU minister said.

According to the Sunday newspaper, the regulation is set to be implemented in the coming weeks when proof of vaccination may be enough to make a hotel booking, for example.

However, it is not yet clear whether this also applies to people who have recovered from Covid-19.

READ ALSO: Europe’s slow vaccine rollout is ‘prolonging the pandemic’ as infections surge

As of 1st April, just 11.6 percent of the German population have received a first jab, while 5 percent have received both doses, according to the latest RKI data.

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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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