“I often read that the Omicron variant is a less virulent variant. This is only partially true,” warned Karl Lauterbach at a press conference, stressing that 249 people had still died Thursday from Covid-19.
"Germany is in a critical situation," summed up the minister, who fears in particular the congestion of intensive care services and the multiplication of long Covid cases.
"We cannot be satisfied with a situation where 200 to 250 people die every day", with the risk that the toll will worsen further in the coming weeks, he said.
Germany, which plans to ease a number of restrictions from March 20, recorded more than 250,000 new Covid-19 cases on Friday and the seven-day incidence rate exceeded 1,400.
"The number of cases and the incidence are increasing again (...). In many districts, the incidence is still above 2,000, or even 2,500", added Lothar Wieler, director of the health monitoring institute Robert Koch.
The situation is deteriorating in particular because of the spread of the particularly contagious subvariant BA.2, which currently accounts for around 38% of new infections in Germany, according to Wieler.
Despite the current restrictions and mandatory mask wearing, "without general mandatory vaccination, we will not be able to bring the pandemic under control in the fall," Lauterbach said.
Lothar Wieler, director of the Robert Koch health monitoring institute, on March 11, 2022 in Berlin Odd ANDERSEN AFP
Promised by Olaf Scholz for the end of 2021, the vote on this law should take place in early April in Parliament.
Compulsory vaccination remains controversial.
Austria, which was the first country in the European Union to adopt this measure in February, finally suspended it this week.
The German Minister of Health says he fears in the coming months the appearance of new variants or the "recombination" of already existing variants.
Some 75% of the entire population is vaccinated in Germany and 57% received a booster dose.
© 2022 AFP