Although most people in Germany are vaccinated or otherwise immune, general practitioners, such as Lars Rettstadt, express concern about the possible COVID winter comeback, according to Deutsche Welle.
“It’s typical infection season again. There’s a lot of sniffling and coughing. When we open the door on Monday morning, there are 70 people without an appointment: men, women, young and old.”
He estimated that 80 per cent of them had some form of viral infection, with half of the visitors suffering from COVID-19.
Most patients don’t wear masks, and Rettstadt offers them for 50 cents. He has allotted an hour just for doctor’s appointments, with patients also able to contact him via video link.
We no longer see severe cases.
Symptoms resemble the usual winter period that makes people unable to work, so they recover at home. However, sick days can last up to two weeks.
According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for public health, up to 10 per cent of the country’s population is sick, with offices and services struggling to remain open. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach encouraged people to get extra vaccinations ahead of the Christmas season.
The official seven-day incidence is 38, which seems low compared to 2,000 during the omicron wave in early 2022. However, a recent analysis of wastewater revealed higher amounts of COVID-19 in the water since this form of testing was first launched in June 2022.
Other forms of PCR testing suggest an incidence of nearly 3,900 in the western German state of Rhineland-Palatinate in seven days. Frankfurt-based virologist Martin Stürmer stated that this was up from 2,600 a week ago.
“We are in a phase where the coronavirus figures are increasing massively.”
The coronavirus figures are cited in addition to the usual cases of influenza and respiratory illnesses, but this has not increased the burden on hospitals and intensive care units, Stürmer noted. Mortality rates have also remained stable.
Stürmer urged at-risk groups, including people over 60, to get re-vaccinated. They add a layer of protection against so-called long COVID, the long-term effects of COVID-19. Masks can also be reasonable, he added, although the public has little desire to return to them.
