Germany is struggling to curb the spread of the coronavirus infection across its regions as the country suffers another wave of the pandemic, recording more than 50,000 cases daily, causing several hospitals to reach their capacities.
One of the country's foremost clinics for pulmonary disease, the University Hospital of Giessen, is already at capacity. In the past few weeks, Germany has recorded triple the average number of coronavirus patients, with roughly half of them on ventilators.
Germany's Fourth COVID Wave
The head of infectious diseases of the hospital, Dr. Susanne Herold, said she questioned each patient that was admitted why they didn't get vaccinated against the coronavirus. The medical professional made her statements after her daily round on the ward on Thursday. She added that the patients were a combination of people who did not trust the vaccines, the state, or those who were not reached by public information campaigns.
These types of patients majorly contributed to the fourth wave of coronavirus cases in Germany that has resulted in tens of thousands of daily cases. The numbers represent statistics that the country has never seen before since the beginning of the pandemic, the New York Times reported.
The situation comes as Germany was once praised for its amazing coronavirus response but is now seen as a stark warning of how quickly the coronavirus can take a complete turn. One expert issued a dire warning of a massive rise in fatalities due to the sheer number of infected people in the region.
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The fourth wave of the coronavirus is primarily attributed to the highly contagious Delta variant that continues to spread as the winter season approaches. For the last four days ending on Thursday, Germany has recorded peak coronavirus infections, with the latest peaking at 50,196 cases.
The Robert Koch Institute, the country's public health body, released data that showed Germany's total coronavirus cases was now at 4.89 million while the number of fatalities comes in at 97,198. Many of the country's officials and public health experts are expressing their concerns about the data, CNBC reported.
Protecting the People of Germany
Olaf Scholz, Germany's likely new chancellor, on Thursday, urged residents to get vaccinated against the coronavirus to curb the spread of the infection and protect their communities. The statement came as the parliament was discussing new ways to tackle the devastating fourth wave of the pandemic without having to rely on lockdowns or vaccine mandates.
The three parties that are negotiating to form the country's new government have agreed to let a state of emergency expire on Nov. 25 since it was issued at the start of the pandemic. The decision comes as peak cases are recorded amid increasingly colder weather and people are gathering more indoors that are turning Europe into another coronavirus hotspot.
Some German officials have considered that the use of a state of emergency was no longer necessary because of the vaccination drive and the need to make a new normal in Europe's largest economy. They instead proposed legislation to allow existing hygiene measures, including compulsory facial coverings in indoor public spaces, to be enforced and tightened, Reuters reported.
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