Germany is reopening with one of the lowest death rates in the world. Here's how it barely missed a trick as it fought the coronavirus
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-reopening-low-deaths-testing-lockdown-2020-5
The peak of its outbreak — the period marked by the highest numbers of new daily infections — came between March 26 and April 3, during which it maintained a death rate far below the likes of Spain and Italy.
As Business Insider reported in late March, this was attributed to an early lockdown, swift mass-testing drive, a well-oiled healthcare system, and clear government messaging.
Seven weeks on — as the country starts to reopen — not much has changed.
The reproduction number (R) — which indicates how many people the average person infects, and indicates how fast the virus is spreading — has wholly remained below 1, but for one surge from 0.65 to 1.1 last weekend.
But the country weathered the storm with minimal fuss, and its R rate subsided to 0.8 by Wednesday.
uthorities said the surge was caused by outbreaks in a few nursing homes and a factory. North Rhine-Westphalia, where the factory was located, reacted by briefly reimposing lockdown, it ended on Friday.
"If one compares the German death rate with that of other countries, it becomes clear that the number of deaths in Germany has not increased as much as one might have feared," Die Zeit newspaper, whose virus tracker has become a go-to resource in Germany, wrote on May 14.
Even so, the government is continuing to move against the virus with purpose.
The Infection Protection Act
On Thursday, the Bundestag passed the Infection Protection Act, a set of precautions to help steer the country from danger as it begins returning to normal.
In recent weeks, Germany kept testing people en masse, monitoring those who test positive, and kept intensive care units remained well under capacity.
It allowed those in the most critical of conditions quick, unfettered access to life-saving apparatus like ventilators.
"We are seeing half-empty ICUs in Germany," the country's lead epidemiologist, Christian Drosten, said on April 26.
"This is because we started diagnostics early and on a broad scale, and we stopped the epidemic — that is, we brought the reproduction number below 1."
Germany currently has the capacity to test around 838,000 samples for COVID-19 per week, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Those who test positive are supervised closely, even after they return to recover in their homes.
In Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, medics were driving around the city checking in on those recently diagnosed with COVID-19, taking blood tests and checking to see if they had deteriorated, The New York Times reported in April.
A lockdown so effective it almost backfired
Drosten, who is director of Berlin's Institute of Virology, added he was concerned the lockdown had worked so well that some citizens didn't understand the dangers of the virus.
Indeed, protests against the lockdown popped up across Germany on April 25. More have taken place since.
(More at above url)
https://www.businessinsider.com/coronavirus-germany-reopening-low-deaths-testing-lockdown-2020-5
- The German response to the coronavirus has led the way in Europe and drawn praise around the world.
- Its initial success in containing the outbreak was attributed in March to mass testing, swift lockdown, a robust healthcare system, and luck.
- But that success has continued into April and May, and the country is now gradually reopening with one of the lowest death rates in the world.
- Regardless, the country remains cautious. The Bundestag on Thursday passed a new law mandating more testing and virus mapping, which it hopes will rid the outbreak for good.
- The country had its critics along the way, but here's how it got in sight of the finish line.
The peak of its outbreak — the period marked by the highest numbers of new daily infections — came between March 26 and April 3, during which it maintained a death rate far below the likes of Spain and Italy.
As Business Insider reported in late March, this was attributed to an early lockdown, swift mass-testing drive, a well-oiled healthcare system, and clear government messaging.
Seven weeks on — as the country starts to reopen — not much has changed.
The reproduction number (R) — which indicates how many people the average person infects, and indicates how fast the virus is spreading — has wholly remained below 1, but for one surge from 0.65 to 1.1 last weekend.
But the country weathered the storm with minimal fuss, and its R rate subsided to 0.8 by Wednesday.
uthorities said the surge was caused by outbreaks in a few nursing homes and a factory. North Rhine-Westphalia, where the factory was located, reacted by briefly reimposing lockdown, it ended on Friday.
"If one compares the German death rate with that of other countries, it becomes clear that the number of deaths in Germany has not increased as much as one might have feared," Die Zeit newspaper, whose virus tracker has become a go-to resource in Germany, wrote on May 14.
Even so, the government is continuing to move against the virus with purpose.
The Infection Protection Act
On Thursday, the Bundestag passed the Infection Protection Act, a set of precautions to help steer the country from danger as it begins returning to normal.
- Testing in care homes and hospitals will be drastically increased. Germany is already testing hundreds of thousands of people a week.
- Health authorities must log every negative test result and people considered "cured," so the government can map the virus.
- Nurses and care workers will be entitled to a 1,000-euro ($1,080) bonus. Before the crisis there was a shortage of these key workers due to low wages.
- Health insurers must now pay for their customers' antibody tests even if they have no symptoms.
- Health insurers must make flu vaccines readily available. As winter nears, the government wants to minimize the strain that flu patients place on health services.
In recent weeks, Germany kept testing people en masse, monitoring those who test positive, and kept intensive care units remained well under capacity.
It allowed those in the most critical of conditions quick, unfettered access to life-saving apparatus like ventilators.
"We are seeing half-empty ICUs in Germany," the country's lead epidemiologist, Christian Drosten, said on April 26.
"This is because we started diagnostics early and on a broad scale, and we stopped the epidemic — that is, we brought the reproduction number below 1."
Germany currently has the capacity to test around 838,000 samples for COVID-19 per week, Reuters reported on Tuesday.
Those who test positive are supervised closely, even after they return to recover in their homes.
In Heidelberg, southwestern Germany, medics were driving around the city checking in on those recently diagnosed with COVID-19, taking blood tests and checking to see if they had deteriorated, The New York Times reported in April.
A lockdown so effective it almost backfired
Drosten, who is director of Berlin's Institute of Virology, added he was concerned the lockdown had worked so well that some citizens didn't understand the dangers of the virus.
Indeed, protests against the lockdown popped up across Germany on April 25. More have taken place since.
(More at above url)
