But unfortunately, we see again here: too late, too slowly, too little was ordered. "Tests are the bridge to the vaccination offer for everyone. Wieler pointed out that with the B.1.1.7 variant of the virus, contact tracing has become even more difficult. You can see a lot of infections in private households or daycare centers "because the virus spreads wherever people are infected," he added. “There are very clear signals that this third wave will be much harder,” the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Diseases, Lothar Wieler, said at a recent press conference in Berlin.Įverything points to the fact that the situation will worsen in the coming weeks. Health experts predict another dramatic surge in the number of new infections after the Easter holidays. Germany is still grappling with a shortage of vaccines and instant corona tests as the country has entered the third pandemic phase, driven by an easing of restrictions in recent weeks just as a more transmissible variant has spread. Only 10% of Germany’s population has received their first vaccination dose compared with 42% in the UK and 26% in the US.
With 95 doses administered per 1,000 inhabitants, Germany ranks 31st in an international comparison - languishing somewhere between Slovenia and Romania.
The national vaccination campaign has not picked up at the desired pace even three months after it was kicked off. It is precisely these crucial points that have turned into huge problems so far. All of these were regarded as contributing factors to the worsening of the COVID crisis in Germany.īut the real disaster was the slow vaccination rollout as a lot of criticism emerged around the subjects of vaccination and testing, which are seen by health experts as the two most effective means of fighting the pandemic.
#Merkels latest challenge leading lame duck how to
The list of failures in terms of how to effectively fight the second and third waves of the virus is long, whether it is the shortage of medical masks and disinfectants, the failure to impose tough travel restrictions or the fact that instant corona test kits were provided too late. Instead of the one big crisis, there are now many small crises that the lame-duck chancellor has to resolve. Merkel’s party also faced a financial scandal where MPs brokered the sale of protective masks.Ī year later, the picture could hardly be more different. The rationality of the physicist, who has a doctorate, was key for Germany in initially getting through this crisis comparatively lightly.īut then things fell apart as important issues such as vaccination, testing and protection of the elderly were badly mismanaged. The chancellor’s popularity ratings soared and the international press praised Merkel for her successful management of the virus. At the time, in mid-April 2020, around 4% of those infected died in the US and even more than 10% each in Spain, France and Italy. The center-right government was able to stand up to the pandemic with a cool head and resolute crisis management. The European economic powerhouse almost instantly became a global role model in how to cope with the coronavirus crisis when it emerged in early 2020.Īfter the first wave, Chancellor Angela Merkel and her Christian Democratic Union (CDU) party were seen as the main winners of the crisis.
When you think of Germany, you usually picture a highly efficient and organized country compared to many others in Europe.
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