German virologist warns 100,000 may die due to COVID, if 4th wave isn't stopped: Report

Amid a surge in COVID-19 cases, Germany’s top virologist has warned that 100,000 people might die due to Coronavirus if measures are not taken to stop the fourth wave, as per a BBC report. As the cases continue to rise, Christian Drosten has called it a “real emergency situation.” He further highlighted that they need to “act right now” to mitigate the spread of the virus.

Doctors in the intensive care COVID ward at Leipzig University Hospital have warned that the fourth wave might be the ‘worst’ yet. Prof Sebastian Stehr, who heads the department, told the British news portal that it has become “very difficult” for them to motivate their health staff to treat patients in the fourth wave. Stehr further highlighted that a large number of people living in the country did not understand the situation as they were still “underestimating the problem”.

Prof Sebastian Stehr highlighted that amid the COVID-19 situation in the country, the people were not getting vaccinated. Prof Stehr mentioned that many patients have not been “vaccinated” against COVID. As per the BBC report, the state of Saxony which has been witnessing a rise in COVID-19 cases has a less number of people who have been vaccinated. Germany’s health minister Jens Spahn has stated that the rise in COVID-19 cases has been caused due to the people who have not been vaccinated, calling it a “pandemic of the unvaccinated”.

'All of Germany is one big outbreak': Lothar Wieler

Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, has said that the country has entered a "nationwide state of emergency," according to AP. He further stated that regular healthcare might not be possible in some parts of Germany as hospitals and intensive care wards have been overwhelmed with patients. Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Wieler warned that “All of Germany is one big outbreak," as per the news agency. Furthermore, he said that they need to “pull the emergency brake.” Wieler urged the government to take additional measures to combat the spike in COVID-19 cases.

Germany approves new measures to tackle COVID-19

As the COVID-19 cases continue to rise, German lawmakers on Thursday, 18 November, approved new measures to control the spread of the virus, according to the news agency. As per the new rules, employees need to show that they are vaccinated or have recently recovered from COVID-19 or have tested negative for the virus in order to access workplaces. The government has introduced similar measures for people accessing public transport. 

According to Worldometer, as of November 21, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Germany has reached 5,341,332. The total number of fatalities reported due to coronavirus is 99,553. The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is 4,626,300 and the active cases in the country are 615,479.

(With inputs from AP)

(Image: AP/Pixabay/Representative)