Germany: Fourth wave of COVID likely to arrive due to unvaccinated people, says report

Amid the increasing cases of COVID-19 in Germany, various reports have claimed that the country is moving towards a new wave of pandemic, mostly due to the unvaccinated population in the country. As per the New York Times report, fresh infection cases in Germany have surged in recent weeks. Among the newly reported cases of COVID-19, nearly half of the patients are under critical condition, many relying on ventilators, and "every single one of them is unvaccinated", reported the news outlet. On Thursday, the country recorded over 50,000 infection cases, which is the highest number for the first time since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.

According to the latest daily data from the RKI public-health institute, the seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people stood at 249.1, while the death toll increased by 235 and tallied to 97,198. From the beginning, German authorities managed to keep the virus under control with their nationwide testing and treatment measures. However, the sudden surge in cases is caused by a combination of factors, including the slow rollout of vaccines and a more unvaccinated population freely moving outside.

According to official data, among unvaccinated people, the percentage of youth is higher. And although they are likely to experience less severe illnesses caused by COVID-19, they can pass the infection to older age groups with weaker immune systems. Meanwhile, the exponential surge in COVID-19 cases has also escalated concerns for the government. The outgoing chancellor, Angela Merkel, on Thursday urged people who are not vaccinated to receive COVID jabs as soon as possible. While, Olaf Scholz, who aims to succeed Merkel also requested the citizens to take vaccines and be "winter-proofed" against the diseases. 

Germany: Pandemic of the unvaccinated

As many as 50,196 cases were recorded in Germany on Thursday as the highly-contagious Delta variant surfaced across the European nation. Multiple reports suggest the cases are likely to increase if the unvaccinated population does not get inoculated. Among the 83 million people in Germany, only 66 per cent of people are vaccinated against COVID-19, which is the lowest of any other European country. The president of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler, said, "The fourth wave is developing in exactly the way we feared, because not enough people have received the vaccine," reported The Guardian.

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