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‘We are still in the third wave’: German Health Minister urges caution in reopening after shutdown

German states are putting together their plans for reopening after around six months of an almost complete shutdown of public life. But there are calls to do it gradually.

Published: 5 May 2021 12:23 CEST
'We are still in the third wave': German Health Minister urges caution in reopening after shutdown
Empty tables at a restaurant in Dresden. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-Zentralbild | Robert Michael

Coronavirus infections are dropping significantly in many parts of Germany.  But Health Minister Jens Spahn has urged for states not to rush when relaxing restrictions.

READ ALSO: Dozens of German districts and cities see major drop in Covid-19 cases

Spahn said the reopening of public life – such as for restaurants, museums and gyms, must happen “step by step”.

He also called for caution when it comes to easing Covid rules for vaccinated people and those who’ve recovered from the virus.

“We have reason for a lot of confidence and perspective – the number of vaccinations is increasing, we can make relaxations,” the CDU politician told broadcaster ZDF on Wednesday.

“But we are also still in the third wave,” he added. The numbers are going down, but they are not yet low enough, he said – and intensive care units are still heavily burdened. “Confidence combined with prudence and caution” is needed right now, Spahn said.

Germany has been in some form of virus shutdown since November, with numbers of new infections remaining consistently high amid an initially sluggish vaccination campaign.

But the campaign has since picked up pace, with more than a million jabs issued in one day last week, and new infection numbers have started to come down gradually.

READ ALSO: Germany breaks European record by giving a million Covid jabs in a day

Spahn warned that the experiences of other countries around the world show that “if you open up too quickly, it (the virus) can catch up with you very quickly”.

“We are doing this step by step with a sense of proportion, but also with an understanding that fundamental rights and freedoms are at stake here,” he said.

Under national measures introduced in April, areas with an incidence rate of more than 100 new infections per 100,000 people over the last seven days must introduce overnight curfews and people may only meet with one other person from another household during the day.

But as regions manage to get the number of cases below this threshold, they can get rid of these rules and begin to open facilities. 

States, including Berlin and Bavaria, are putting plans together on how they will reopen.

READ ALSO:

Spahn urged states to concentrate on outdoor areas in the first step, such as allowing outdoor dining in restaurants.

On Wednesday, the Robert Koch Institute logged 18,034 coronavirus cases within 24 hours and 285 deaths. There have been a total of around 3.5 million reported infections since the start of the pandemic, although numbers are expected to be much higher as many cases go unreported.

Germany has in total seen around 83,870 reported deaths connected to Covid-19.

About 29.5 percent of the population has received at least one vaccination against the coronavirus, and 8.3 percent are fully inoculated.

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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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