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OUTBREAK

More than 350 households ordered to quarantine in Berlin district

More than 50 people are confirmed to have coronavirus and hundreds have been ordered to quarantine after an outbreak in Berlin.

More than 350 households ordered to quarantine in Berlin district
Several buildings are affected in Berlin's Neukölln district. Photo: DPA

The outbreak has led to people living in apartment buildings in the Berlin-Neukölln district having to self-isolate. Among those affected belong to a Sinti and Roma housing project in the area.

As of Tuesday June 16th, 57 people were confirmed to have contracted coronavirus. The local health authorities have urged a total of 369 households to quarantine in a bid to control the outbreak.

The affected people live in 13 buildings in seven locations, said Berlin health councillor Falko Liecke.

The district could not say the exact number of people in quarantine. Authorities also announced that 265 tests are still pending and that the results should be available within the next three days.

So far, most people suffering from coronavirus have shown mild symptoms.

Liecke said the focus was on informing those affected by the outbreak. Social work teams who have been established in the neighbourhood for some time are helping with this task, along with translators when needed.

READ ALSO: Berlin's coronavirus reproductive number is rising. What does it mean?

District mayor Martin Hike said it was easy for the virus to spread in blocks of flats, especially where there are cramped conditions.

“From the ski clubs, the virus has now arrived at the tenement buildings,” said Hikel, commenting on the fact the virus first spread to Europe through ski resorts.

As The Local has reported, some German health authorities have been sending out quarantine orders to people living in apartments in a bid to control the spread of the virus.

READ ALSO: How worried should we be when Germany reports a higher coronavirus infection rate?

Earlier in June, hundreds of people had to self-isolate in a Göttingen housing complex after 68 people were confirmed to have coronavirus.

There have also been outbreaks linked to cramp accommodation for workers of meat processing plants, which led to the government calling for an overhaul of housing conditions and the industry.

Localised outbreaks in Germany have also been linked to church services and restaurant visits.

As of Tuesday, there had been around 7,369 recorded Covid-19 infections since the start of the epidemic in Berlin, a city of around 3 million people. There have been more than 200 deaths.

In the whole of Germany, there have been around 188,200 confirmed cases, with an increase of around 270 more compared to the previous day, and more than 8,800 deaths

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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