A new model calculation from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) suggests that Germany will need to implement renewed contact restrictions this fall to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. According to the RKI, given the current vaccination rate and hospital situation, contact restrictions will be necessary starting in October. The head of virology at Berlin’s Charité hospital, Christian Drosten, explains that societal contacts will need to be reduced by 10% in October and 30% in November. However, the Chancellor candidates, Armin Laschet (CDU), Olaf Scholz (SPD), and Annalena Baerbock (Greens), have ruled out another lockdown.
Drosten warns that the highly infectious Delta variant requires a higher vaccination rate, but a recent study shows that around 10% of Germans refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19. This means that the necessary vaccination rate is unlikely to be achieved. “With this vaccination rate, we cannot go into the fall; it is absolutely not enough. The population is not accepting the vaccine, and that is a big problem,” says Drosten. He emphasizes that his recommendation is not political but rather his scientific opinion on the current situation. Drosten suggests that Germany should work on increasing the vaccination rate across society, citing England as an example where 95% of the population has either recovered or been vaccinated.
In conclusion, the RKI’s model calculation suggests that Germany will need to implement renewed contact restrictions this fall to combat the Covid-19 pandemic. However, the Chancellor candidates have ruled out another lockdown. Drosten warns that the highly infectious Delta variant requires a higher vaccination rate, but a recent study shows that around 10% of Germans refuse to be vaccinated against Covid-19. He emphasizes the need to increase the vaccination rate across society, citing England as an example.
