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VACCINATIONS

Germany mulls easing virus curbs for vaccinated people

Germany plans to ease some of the current coronavirus restrictions for people who have been vaccinated against Covid-19, according to a draft text drawn up by the government and seen by AFP at the weekend.

Published: 25 April 2021 12:59 CEST
Germany mulls easing virus curbs for vaccinated people
Photo: Hauke-Christian Dittrich / POOL / AFP

The proposal is to be discussed at a meeting on Monday by Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government and the powerful regional state premiers.

According to the draft text, it was a question not of awarding people with proven immunity any special privileges, but of “lifting curbs on their basic rights that are no longer justified”.

The debate comes as Germany is struggling to tame a third wave of coronavirus infections, and just 22 percent of Germans have had their first of two Covid-19 jabs.

Under the proposed relaxations, people who are fully vaccinated would no longer have to show a recent negative coronavirus test to enter certain shops, get a haircut or attend certain events.

They would also be exempt from quarantining after returning from abroad, unless they were coming from a country classed as a high-risk virus variant area such as India.

Rules on social distancing and mask-wearing would still apply to everyone. German politicians from across the political spectrum have come out in favour of giving vaccinated people more freedoms.

The German Ethics Council, which helped shape the country’s vaccine priority groups, said it was becoming harder to justify the restrictions in the face of growing evidence that those vaccinated no longer play a significant role in spreading the virus.

Giving the same treatment to people who test negative, are vaccinated or even those who can show they have recovered from Covid and allow them “to access restaurants or shops is ethically unproblematic”, council chair Alena Buyx told the Tagesspiegel daily on Sunday.

‘Emergency brake’

New nationwide legislation went into force on Saturday that imposes tougher restrictions in regions with more than 100 new infections per 100,000 residents over a seven-day period for three consecutive days, which currently includes huge swathes of Germany.

Merkel had pushed hard for the “emergency brake” rules to become legally binding after many regional leaders refused to take unpopular measures, despite rapidly rising case numbers.

READ ALSO: Germany’s new ’emergency brake’ Covid restrictions come into force Saturday

The new law includes a controversial 10pm-5am curfew and stricter rules for social gatherings and store openings. If the incidence rate climbs above 165, schools must revert to online lessons.

The legislation also explicitly allows for “exceptions to be granted to those considered immune”, Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht told the Handelsblatt business daily on Saturday.

Finance Minister Olaf Scholz, who is running to succeed Merkel in September’s general elections, said Germany should go even further and draw up plans for a phased reopening of the country as the vaccination pace picks up speed.

“By the end of May, we should be able to make reliable predictions. I want us, as a government, to commit to clear and brave steps towards reopening,” he told the Bild am Sonntag newspaper.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Can I get the AstraZeneca vaccine in Germany if I’m not on a priority list?

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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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