Germany’s Covid-19 infection rate is “flattening” and provides reason to be “cautiously optimistic,” according to the head of the country’s Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases (RKI).
The curve is flattening and it shows that we are not helpless against the virus,” Lothar Wieler said at a virtual press briefing on Thursday.
“But we don’t yet know whether this is a stable development,” he added.
Wieler said it remains unclear if the slower coronavirus spread can be attributed to new Covid-19 restrictions introduced earlier this month or if the dip is because of limited lab capacity.
He warned that the overall number of infections remains “very high” and is rising in all of Germany, and that he expects hospitals to reach capacity.
He also said that it is “very likely” that the RKI is underreporting Covid-19 patients being treated in hospitals.
On Thursday, the number of confirmed coronavirus cases in the country rose by 21,866 — the second highest daily record since the outbreak began — to 727,553, according to RKI.
The death toll rose by 215 to 11,982, the institute reported.
Germany recorded its highest daily infection number of more than 23,300 on November 7.
Wieler said the country is currently experiencing a very high number of Covid-19 infections in people aged between 10-19 years old.
“Infection numbers can be brought down if we pull ourselves together,” he said, adding that measures such as social distancing and facial mask wearing can help stop the spread of the virus.
Germany has reimposed lockdown measures to try to slow the rate of Covid-19 infection. The country has limited bars, restaurants and cafes to take-out and delivery services, and limited the amount of people who can gather in public or private settings.
