Berlin, Feb 15, (dpa/GNA) – Germany’s huge wave of Omicron coronavirus infections has broken, and the country can begin relaxing its pandemic response measures, according to the nation’s health minister.
“The peak of the Omicron wave has passed pretty much exactly on that day that I predicted a month ago,” Karl Lauterbach said in comments published by the Bild tabloid on Tuesday.
This means that “moderate” easing is now possible, Lauterbach added.
He was speaking ahead of a meeting of Chancellor Olaf Scholz and the nation’s 16 state premiers scheduled for Wednesday, during which they will discuss proposals to lift the bulk of coronavirus restrictions in the coming weeks.
“The measures have been spot on,” Lauterbach said of the country’s Covid policy so far. “This has enabled us to reduce the number of deaths significantly and we have come through this Omicron wave really well compared to other countries.”
Germany’s seven-day incidence of infections fell on Tuesday for the third day in a row to 1,437.5, as reported by the Robert Koch Institute for disease control.
Local health authorities reported a daily increase in cases of 159,217.
Lauterbach, a Social Democrat and trained epidemiologist, had initially predicted that infection numbers could surge as high as up to 400,000 per day. However, such a level has not been reached.
GNA