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VACCINES

‘Every day counts’: German health experts call for action from politicians to break Covid third wave

Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has urged the federal and state governments to break the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic as quickly as possible, stating that waiting to enforce an 'emergency brake' will cost lives.

Published: 15 April 2021 14:04 CEST
'Every day counts': German health experts call for action from politicians to break Covid third wave
Wieler and Spahn speaking on Thursday in Berlin. Photo: DPA

It was “naive” to believe that the virus could be controlled through increased testing, as is now required in most places to enter non-essential shops, get a hair cut, or in some cities enter the workplace, the experts said. 

“It won’t work,” RKI director Lothar Wieler said on Thursday. “We have to get the numbers down. That requires regulations, effective strategies and their immediate implementation.”

German Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) appealed to the states not to wait for the “federal emergency brake” – which provides unified restrictions across Germany for areas with high case counts – to be ready next week at the earliest. 

“Every day counts,” he said.

READ ALSO: When could Germany’s nationwide ’emergency brake’ measures come into effect?

Health authorities in Germany on Thursday reported 29,426 new Covid-19 infections and 294 new deaths within 24 hours.

The figures have been increasing daily, and Germany could see more new cases this week than anytime since the start of the pandemic.

According to the RKI, the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants within a week was 160.1 nationwide on Thursday morning, up from 90.4 four weeks ago. 

          This graph shows the number of new Covid-19 infections since the start of the pandemic. Photo: DPA

Dramatic situation in hospitals

Wieler made a call for action to relieve mounting pressure on hospitals.

“The situation in the hospitals is coming to a head dramatically in some cases and will also hit us even harder than in the second wave,” he said, advising all hospitals to limit regular operations. 

There are already no more free beds in intensive care units in some cities and metropolitan areas, he said, and more young people are requiring intensive care. Sick people in stable health should be transferred to less affected regions in the near future.

READ ALSO: ‘More young people will become ill’: Germany facing tough battle against coronavirus variants

For Spahn, the main goal remains to avoid overburdening the healthcare system. “What we may miss now will pay back in two or three weeks. Just like what wasn’t decided two, three weeks ago is avenging itself now.” 

Are vaccinations helping?

Spahn said that despite setbacks with vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson, everyone willing to be vaccinated will still be able to get their jabs by the end of the summer. 

While Johnson & Johnson has been approved in the EU, it’s faced delivery delays to Germany, and AstraZeneca has been met with repeated controversy over a possible link to rare cases of blood clots.

But at the moment, vaccination is not yet an emergency brake, he added. Currently, about 17 percent of Germans have received their first shots. Only about six percent of Germans are fully immunised. 

Wieler compared the current pandemic situation to dangerous driving: “Imagine you are driving along narrow roads in the Dolomites. 

“It’s winding and there’s a steep slope on one side. Everyone knows I can only drive into this curve at 30. If I drive in here at a speed of 100, it’s life-threatening. And to be honest, (slamming on the brakes) won’t help.”

Member comments

  1. As long as the majority of the German population remains unvaccinated, the virus has ample opportunity to mutate, become more resistant and spread more rapidly. We MUST establish herd immunity as quickly as possible.

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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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