Sixteen cases of the new coronavirus variant B117 are known to be present in Germany, reports my colleague Kate Connolly in Berlin.
Of those 16 cases, 15 have developed in people who arrived from the UK, the head of the government agency responsible for disease control and prevention has said.
Lothar Wieler said four cases of the so-called South Africa variant are also known to be in Germany, all of which were also brought in by travellers. The origins of the 16th case of the so-called British variant, known to be considerably more contagious than previously, was not yet known as it was too new.
Wieler said Germany would be ramping up its gene sequencing of positive test samples in an effort to keep track of variants, including one from Brazil. He said as the virus develops, more variants would emerge, but urged not to stigmatise the individual countries with which they were being associated.
On the day Germany’s recorded death rate reached yet another high, of 1244, surpassing previous recorded rates, Wieler said he was concerned Germans were failing to abide by the latest strict lockdown measures which were introduced in the run-up to Christmas. He said:
Every single infection is one too many. We will only be able to reduce the virus if people stick to the rules […] We need to restrict ourselves for just a few more months.
Wieler said mobility was still too high, stressing that reducing movement was one of the most effective ways of controlling the disease, as it led to a reduction in contacts.
But he said he was optimistic that “by the end of this year we will have this virus under control”, citing the rollout of the vaccine – which by yesterday lunchtime had been administered to 758,000 people – as crucial to managing it, on condition that enough people took up the offer. Every German citizen will have been able to receive it by the end of the year, he said.
Wieler said in 10 out of 16 German states ICU units were at over 85% capacity, and the picture on normal wards was similar. While the virus overwhelmingly affected those over 80, the average age of patients ending up in intensive care, are increasingly “significantly under 60 years old”. The number of young people experiencing serious illness was also increasing, he added.
Wieler stressed that while testing was one way of helping to control the virus’ spread, it remained the case that “the main means we have of not giving this virus a chance is by reducing our contacts”. He said:
You can use as much technology as you like, but the bottom line is, that people reducing their contacts is the best way to give this virus no chance.
He said he was frustrated by hearing anecdotes about employers and others in positions of responsibility often “developing amazing hygiene concepts … but then, let’s say, getting together with colleagues at lunch”, where people sat together, talking, laughing and eating.
“The mistakes being made are very simple … often they’re quite banal,” he said.
