German officials warned on Friday that the third wave of coronaviruses in the country would be “more difficult to contain” and could be much worse than the previous two.
Why does it matter: The number of new confirmed cases has increased in recent weeks, largely due to the more transmissible variant B.1.1.7 and the relaxation of some blocking measures, according to Reuters.
By the numbers: Germany recorded 2,755,225 confirmed COVID-19 cases and 75,780 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the country’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI).
- Germany reported 21,573 new cases on Friday, about 4,000 new cases more than reported a week ago, Deutsche Welle reported.
What they are saying: “There are clear signs that this wave will be worse than the first two,” said RKI chief Lothar Wieler, according to Reuters.
- “We have some very difficult weeks ahead of us,” he added, urging people to stay home during the Easter holiday.
The big picture: Earlier this week, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said the government would no longer implement a stricter blockade planned over the Easter holiday.
- She apologized for the plan, which was met with public criticism and confusion.
Germany’s health minister said on Saturday that the country expects to receive its first small delivery of Johnson & Johnson’s single-dose COVID-19 vaccine in mid-April, according to Reuters.
- Jens Spahn warned that the first delivery would be small – about 275,000 doses – but will eventually “reach millions of doses”.
- The country had a slow start to the vaccine launch, compounded by the days of delivery and restricted offer, according to Reuters. About 10% of the population received at least one dose of the vaccine.