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INDIA

Nearly 200 people ordered to quarantine in German city over fears of Covid Indian variant outbreak

Since Sunday, around 200 people have been in quarantine in two high-rise buildings in Velbert, North Rhine-Westphalia due to concerns over a possible outbreak connected to the Indian Covid variant.

Published: 18 May 2021 14:57 CEST
Nearly 200 people ordered to quarantine in German city over fears of Covid Indian variant outbreak
Tape seals off the quarantined buildings in Verbert on Tuesday. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Christoph Reichwein

The variant has so far officially been detected in one resident – but tents are ongoing to analyse other positive results.

A total of 189 people from the buildings have been told to go into self-isolation, confirmed Mettmann district head Marcus Kowalczyk to DPA.

Food and other supplies are being provided for them by the Red Cross and other agencies.

All residents of the two high-rise houses have been tested for Covid-19.

Velbert, which has a population of around 85,000, lies north of Wuppertal, and about 20km north east of Düsseldorf.

In total, there have so far been 19 positive results back connected to four families in the two buildings. However, the Indian variant, which is considered particularly contagious, has been detected in only one case so far.

The results of the series of tests conducted on Sunday and Monday are expected later on Tuesday, according to Kowalczyk.

“However, it will take about seven days for the findings that are positive to then be tested for the Indian variant,” he said, adding that he could not yet say how long the residents would need to stay isolated.

A ‘worrying’ variant

The Covid-19 mutant B.1.617, newly classified as a cause for concern, has so far been detected in only a few samples in Germany, “but its proportion has been steadily increasing in recent weeks,” according to an Robert Koch Institute (RKI) report published last week. 

READ ALSO: Indian virus variant ‘steadily increasing’ in Germany

So far, its share in the samples tested is less than two percent, according to the RKI.

The variant was first found in India, which is currently grappling with hundreds of thousands of new cases per day. In response Germany has put tight travel rules between the countries in place in late April.

The variant has been classified as “worrying” by the World Health Organization (WHO). 

According to experts, it could be up to 50 percent more contagious than the British variant, which is still detected in the majority of cases in Germany.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: The current travel rules between India and Germany

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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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