Is COVID 19 Far From Over In Germany?

Truth being told, it wasn’t all that long back in time when Lothar Weiler, the head of Germany’s disease control agency (also closely associated with the National Public Health Institute of the country) said in terms of the COVID 19 situation, “the numbers have taken a worrying turn for the worse!”

A statement not mentioned in haste but in due course of understanding where the Coronavirus-fuelled tensions were taking the strongman of Europe, there were concerns. And more specifically because of the fact that much before the second or the new wave of the COVID 19 cases (as they are called) struck the country, Germany was fairly on top of the situation.

A robust, hands-on, fully equipped medical system had instituted a few important steps with which to counter the menace, one which today seems to have returned back to haunt its tireless fighters:

The entire country had gone into a state of lockdown in the midst of 2020

The overall atmosphere of active testing for the COVID 19 virus had been stepped up.

Traveling to-and-fro within states was heavily curtailed, speaking of all sixteen German states

As 2020 drew closer to its final quarter, things like wearing of masks at all public offices in important destinations like Berlin became absolutely mandatory.

One felt, there was this efficient hammering of the curve, which resulted from a combination of all the previously mentioned steps!

Now today, as the world has already stepped onto the second month of a brand new year, the powerful EU member state is twitching in nervousness, feeling that the big relief from the dreadful pandemic could still be many miles away.

So what really happened and where’s Germany going right now in the direction of fighting the painful COVID 19.

Take stock, and importantly so (if only for a minute) about the fact that on current numbers and estimates, the current COVID 19 cases, on an average, are far higher than anywhere else in Europe, with France agonizing about the same as well!

Now, as news emerged citing the country’s tireless doctors, who raised concerns saying, “the fight against COVID is far from over,” there seem to have emerged questions as to what happened and why?

Though, first up, let’s revisit an important stanza from a December 2020 article from The Guardian that shared a worrying figure:

On 2 November the country entered a “soft lockdown” that tried to heed the concerns of industry, with rules tightened on gatherings and bars and restaurants closed, but shops and schools remaining open.

But social distancing guidance has been difficult to enforce, especially in areas that did not see the worst of the pandemic during the first wave. States in the formerly socialist east, such as Brandenburg, Thuringia and Saxony, are now Germany’s coronavirus hotspots.

Germany’s ability to manage the spread of the illness dampened the fear surrounding it to the extent that the narrative quickly took hold that it was less dangerous and contagious than health experts stated, has helped its subsequent spread.

Now, the above was an intelligent factual statement made by the very gentleman, who as of 2003, helped identify the Sars virus: Christian Drosten, a gentleman who, in the above phrase was trying to talk about the Prevention Paradox!

What is it about?

As far as Germany goes, the country, right in midst of battling the 2020-born pandemic was experiencing some sort of political and economic pressure to return to a ‘normal state!’

Those who claim to have followed the pulse of the nation would note well that while Germany aced the initial outbreak by getting up the number of early tests (to check for COVID 19 cases amid its population), the pressure to get back to normal, may have fueled the callousness which it certainly would’ve wished to avoid in alleviating the situation.

So far, there have been no fewer than 57,000 confirmed COVID 19 fatalities in Germany but what could deal a yet more serious blow would be the country’s laxity in coming on top of the current situation anytime soon!

A professor, connected to the study of the infectious diseases at the Munic Clinic cited the following concern, which amply illustrates the challenges Germany faces at present:

“The situation is easing up a bit but our teams are tired and the virus hasn’t disappeared as yet!”

To elaborate further, from the onset of November 2020-up until now, here’s what Germany has initiated in its continuous bid to counter the menace of the Coronavirus:

Germany renewed restrictions in November, shutting down bars .. and restaurants as well as culture and leisure facilities.

Measures were tightened further in December, with schools and non-essential shops also ordered to close.

Also Read: Tensions Mount In France Amid Growing Coronavirus Concern!

Yet, to sum it up, what remains a worrying sight is that, despite a slew of important steps taken, albeit at different junctures across the past 9 months, what one can’t erase is that the virus succeeded in infecting no fewer than 2 million individuals (precisely- over 22,34000).

Deutschland, meanwhile, continues to soldier on!