Germany’s doctors call for clear rules to “break chains of infection” as cases soar

Politicians and doctors in Germany have called for urgent action to control the spread of COVID-19 after a record number of cases were reported on 11 November.

Germany had 50 196 new confirmed Covid cases on 11 November, up from 39 676 cases on 10 November and 9658 on 1 November, showed figures from the Robert Koch Institute. A total of 235 Covid related deaths were reported on 11 November, up from 23 on 1 November.

Speaking in the Bundestag, Germany’s lower house of parliament, the federal vice chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said that immediate steps must be taken to “winterproof” Germany against what is being described as the nation’s fourth wave of Covid-19. Scholz will meet next week with the prime ministers of Germany’s 16 states to discuss new measures to fight the pandemic.

“The virus is still with us and threatens the health of citizens,” Scholz said, adding that efforts must be intensified to convince unvaccinated Germans to become fully vaccinated and encourage those already vaccinated to have the booster shot."

Everything must be done, he said, to ensure “that millions of citizens get a booster—that is the task of the next weeks and months.”

Read full story

Source: BMJ, 12 November 2021