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COVID-19

German air force transfers patients as clinics fill up

Germany on Friday used a military plane to transfer intensive care patients to less afflicted regions, an unprecedented move as a vicious fourth wave of the pandemic fills hospital wards.

Published: 27 November 2021 06:40 CET
Medics wearing PPE are seen transporting a patient infected with Covid-19 to an ambulance from an armed forces medical transport plane
Medics wearing PPE transport a patient infected with Covid-19 to an ambulance from an armed forces medical transport plane for transfer to less busy intensive care units in the country amid a ferocious fourth wave of the virus. Ina Fassbender / AFP

A specially equipped Airbus 310 medical transport plane took off from Memmingen in the hard-hit state of Bavaria headed for Muenster/Osnabrueck airport in the west of the country, a German air force spokesman said.

Using an emergency plan devised earlier in the pandemic, patients in overstretched intensive care units are being moved to clinics that still have capacity for critically ill people.

A ferocious fourth wave of Covid-19 has in particular ravaged the south and south-east of the EU’s most populous country.

“The situation is dramatically serious — more serious than at any other point in this pandemic,” Health Minister Jens Spahn told reporters on Friday, as he called on regional and local authorities under Germany’s federalist system to tighten shutdown measures.

The transport plane has six intensive care beds, which a defence ministry spokesman said would all be filled on the first flight, with further planes on standby.

Germany this week passed the grim milestone of 100,000 deaths from coronavirus since the beginning of the outbreak, as daily infections continue to shatter records.

The Robert Koch Institute infectious disease centre on Friday reported 76,414 cases in 24 hours while the seven-day incidence per 100,000 people reached 438.2 — both setting new highs.

The below chart from Our World in Data shows the difference between the current situation and previous waves.

As the situation worsens, Spahn and other officials are calling for the next crisis meeting between federal and state leaders set for December 9th to be moved forward to approve new measures.

Outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel, who is expected to hand over the reins to a new government early next month, warned on Thursday that “every day counts” as she urged “more contact restrictions” to fight the virus.

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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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