As of April 7, Germany has 107,458 confirmed cases of coronavirus, the fifth of any country in the world. Yet its death tally stands at 1,983, more than five times less than France (which has 110,049 confirmed cases).
Post a CommentGermany has experienced a stranger outbreak than most other major countries. The New York Times reports that the average age of infected patients is lower in Germany than many other countries, and fatality rates among the young are far lower than they are among the elderly. The average age of infection in Germany is 49; in France, it’s 62.5. Germany has also been testing people more aggressively than their European counterparts. In the mold of Asian countries like China and South Korea, Germany is testing hundreds of thousands of individuals a week. Patients are identified early, doctors can administer life-saving treatment sooner, and public health officials have been able to spot cases of mild or no symptoms and isolate them before those individuals can infect others. As opposed to the US, where individuals can only get tested if they are symptomatic, Germany has been able to test people who are asymptomatic. Contact tracing has also been an aggressive tool in tracking down potentially sick individuals and testing and isolating them. Germany has also done a good job of ensuring that its hospitals and health care facilities could manage cases without being overwhelmed. There’s been no shortage of beds, ventilators, other equipment, or staff.