A “difficult autumn” in the prevention and control of the Covid-19 pandemic, due to the rising number of cases brought by the spread of the new Omicron subvariant BA.5 is predicted by German health officials.
According to the data released by the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s diseases prevention and control agency, the infection rate per 100,000 people over the past seven days (as of Saturday, July 2) has spiked to 696.5, a rise of 38 percent compared to the previous week’s data. The new BA.5 subvariant of Covid-19 Omicron is responsible for 66 percent of the cases.
Germany’s Health Minister, Karl Lauterbach said that the upcoming autumn season might be quite a difficult one due to the rise in infections, which might overwhelm the country’s critical health infrastructure.
According to the Koch Institute, the elderly and young people and children have been particularly affected. The Institute stressed that those who have received booster shots are less likely to suffer from serious health complications if infected, and reminded that maintaining hygiene standards, wearing masks, and staying away from those who show symptoms of the disease (runny nose, sore throat, cough) helps prevent the spread of the disease.