BERLIN (Reuters) – Germany’s third wave of coronaviruses may be the worst yet and 100,000 new daily infections are not out of the question, said the head of the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases (RKI) on Friday.
The number of new infections confirmed in Germany has increased in recent weeks, driven by a more transmissible variant known as B117 and moves to facilitate some blocking measures.
“There are clear signs that this wave will be worse than the first two,” said Lothar Wieler of RKI, as he urged people to stay home over Easter. “We have some very difficult weeks ahead.”
Subsequently, RKI issued COVID-19 travel notices to several neighboring countries, including France, Austria, Denmark and the Czech Republic.
People arriving from these countries must now test negative at less than 48 hours at the border with Germany. They must then be quarantined for 10 days, which can be shortened by a second negative test after 5 days.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said Germany is in the final stages of the “pandemic marathon”, but the country’s health system may reach its limit in April.
The number of new confirmed cases in Germany increased by 21,573 on Friday, while the death toll increased by 183.
Spahn said the requirement that all airline passengers entering Germany provide a negative test will take effect at midnight on Monday.
He called on local authorities for a more flexible approach to vaccination, for example, by offering unused doses to anyone over 70 over the weekend and reducing stocks more quickly.
Frustration grew with the slow release of the vaccine. About 10% of Germans received at least the first dose, but this is much less than the United States, Britain or Israel.
(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Giles Elgood)