Blockade in Germany?Disease managers call the country “one big COVID-19 outbreak.”

  

COVID-19 continues to strengthen its grip in Europe, but Germany is forced into a national emergency due to the surge in cases of coronavirus.

According to Lothar Wieler, director of the Robert Koch Institute, regular medical assistance is no longer guaranteed in most parts of the country due to the overkill of all medical staff and equipment. The German Air Force is reportedly preparing to airlift patients if they need to be transferred. 

“The whole of Germany is one big outbreak. This is a national emergency. We need to apply an emergency brake,” Wheeler told the media.

Wheeler also called for additional COVID-19 action after the country reported more than 50,000 cases and 201 deaths on Friday.

Many states are considering compulsory vaccination of medical staff and employees to reduce the spread of the virus in hospitals. There is also talk of tracking hospitals with more than 100,000 patients and improving their thresholds.

Not only Germany but also the Netherlands entered a partial blockade last week due to a surge in COVID-19 cases. Austria is also on the rise, with the possibility of announcing a national blockade from Monday.

“In the short term, vaccinations and boosters alone will not be able to break the wave (infectious diseases),” Jens Spawn, the current German health minister, said in a joint press conference with Wheeler. Said.