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New coronavirus infections are accelerating in Germany, where the R number has risen above one for the first time since the blockade was lifted
- The R number has increased to 1.1 The Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control said
- When that number exceeds 1, it means the number of infections is growing
- Chancellor Angela Merkel has opened stores and many have returned to school.
- It released an ’emergency brake’ to allow for the re-imposition of restrictions.
- Here we show you how to help people affected by Covid-19
New coronavirus infections are accelerating again in Germany just days after their leaders loosened social restrictions, raising concerns that the pandemic could spiral out of control again.
The Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control said in a daily bulletin that the number of people each sick person now infects, known as the reproduction rate, or R, had risen to 1.1. When it exceeds 1, it means that the number of infections is growing.
Chancellor Angela Merkel, bowing to pressure from leaders of Germany’s 16 federal states to restart social life and revive the economy, announced measures Wednesday that included more store openings and a gradual return to school.
The Robert Koch Institute for Disease Control said in a daily bulletin that the number of people each sick person now infects, known as the reproduction rate, or R, had risen to 1.1. When it exceeds 1, it means that the number of infections is growing
At the same time, it launched an ’emergency brake’ to allow for the re-imposition of restrictions if infections recover again.
Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democratic lawmaker and professor of epidemiology, warned that the new coronavirus could begin to spread rapidly after seeing large crowds on Saturday in his hometown of Cologne.
“You have to expect the R rate to exceed 1 and let’s go back to exponential growth,” Lauterbach said in a tweet. “The relaxation measures were too poorly prepared.”
Karl Lauterbach, a Social Democratic lawmaker and professor of epidemiology, warned that the new coronavirus could begin to spread rapidly after seeing large crowds on Saturday in his hometown of Cologne. In the picture: crowds enjoyed the sun in Berlin yesterday
The Robert Koch Institute said Sunday that the confirmed number of new coronavirus cases had increased by 667 daily to 169,218, while the number of daily deaths had increased by 26 to 7,395.
“It is too early to infer whether the number of new infections will continue to decline as in recent weeks or whether it will increase again,” the institute said in a daily bulletin released Saturday night.
Members of the congregation wear face masks and observe the rules of social estrangement during a Sunday service at the Berliner Dom cathedral in Berlin today.
He warned that the R figure was subject to statistical uncertainty, adding: “Increasing the R reproduction number requires close monitoring of the situation.”
Germany has the sixth highest number of COVID-19 cases in Europe, but it has managed to contain deaths from highly infectious respiratory disease thanks to widespread early testing and a well-managed and well-funded health system.
The latest phase of its pandemic management, critics say, has put too much burden on local authorities to detect and respond to new outbreaks. Some epidemiologists also consider that a threshold set at 50 cases per 100,000 people to reimpose distancing measures is too high.
This level has already been activated in two districts of the states of North Rhine-Westphalia and Schleswig Holstein, where COVID-19 has exploded among workers in meat processing plants.
Riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters in Berlin yesterday during a demonstration against the coronavirus blockade in Germany
The North Rhine-Westphalia plant closed on Friday after more than 150 of its 1,200 workers tested positive. Many are Eastern European migrants hired by subcontractors and housed in shared rooms that are a potential hotbed of infection.
Riot police clashed with hundreds of protesters in Berlin yesterday during a demonstration against the closure of the coronavirus in Germany.
