[Asia Economy Reporter Park Byung-hee] COVID-19 cases are rising sharply again in Germany, which is effectively implementing a 'With Corona' policy. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's equivalent of the disease control agency, expressed concerns that the increase in new cases will accelerate as winter approaches.
According to RKI data on the 23rd (local time), the number of new COVID-19 cases per 100,000 people in Germany over the past seven days reached 100. This is the highest level in over five months since mid-May, significantly up from 70.8 cases per 100,000 people a week earlier. The number of new cases reported the previous day was 15,145, with 86 deaths recorded.
However, the number of COVID-19 hospitalizations per 100,000 people in Germany over the past seven days was 2.68. This figure is lower compared to 15.5 recorded last Christmas.
In September, Germany revised its Infection Protection Act, changing the criteria for deciding whether to strengthen COVID-19 prevention measures from the number of new cases per population to the number of hospitalizations per population. The government also eased restrictions, effectively entering a With Corona phase.
In its recent weekly report, the RKI forecasted that the increase in new cases could accelerate further from autumn into winter.
Notably, there has been a sharp rise in new COVID-19 cases among 10 to 14-year-olds, who have a low vaccination rate. The number of new cases per 100,000 people in this age group over the past seven days reached 170.
COVID-19 vaccines for children under 12 have not yet been approved.
The noticeable increase in new cases in nursing homes, care facilities, and medical institutions is also being highlighted as a concern. The number of new cases per 100,000 people aged 90 and above over the past seven days exceeded 50 for the first time since early May.
Germany's first-dose vaccination rate is 69.1% (57,420,818 people), and the full vaccination rate is 66.1% (54,978,603 people). To date, Germany has reported a total of 4.46 million COVID-19 cases and 95,800 deaths.
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