UPDATE: Coronavirus cases in Germany top 2,500 as death toll rises to five
As of Thursday afternoon, there were more than 2,500 confirmed coronavirus (COVID-19) cases in all of Germany's 16 states, and three deaths.
This story may be out of date. Please refer to our most up to date coronavirus coverage here.
A fifth death, and first in Bavaria, due to the novel coronavirus was reported on Thursday afternoon. The 80-year-old man had pre-existing medical conditions.
A fourth death due to coronavirus was confirmed earlier in the day, according to Baden-Württemberg's Ministry of Social Affairs.
The 67-year-old came from the Rems-Murr district. This was the first death reported in the southwestern state, which as of Thursday at at 5pm reported over 330 cases.
All of Germany's 16 states have had confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of reported infections in Germany to 2,512 as of Thursday at 5pm, or about 1,200 more cases than reported two days earlier, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Koch Institute.
Germany's third mortality due to the coronavirus has been reported the previous day on Wednesday, in the virus hotspot of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was the second death confirmed in the district, which has over 365 coronavirus cases out of about 250,000 inhabitants.
On Monday, the first two deaths from coronavirus in Germany were reported in the western German city of Essen and in Heinsberg.
READ ALSO: Germany reports first two coronavirus deaths
Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany had been the only state without a reported case until Tuesday morning, when public health authorities confirmed that a man from Halle in his mid-20s who had recently returned from Northern Italy had become infected with the virus. By Thursday there were 34 cases reported in the state.
There have been a a total of 123 coronavirus cases confirmed in Berlin, and growing fears after it was reported that one person spread the virus to 16 others at a nightclub in the capital's Tiergarten neighbourhood.
Over 1,000 cases are currently being reported in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state where an infected couple attended carnival celebrations in Heinsberg in February.
READ ALSO: 'Huge wave of solidarity': How North Rhine-Westphalia is coping with the spread of coronavirus
Growing number of infections
As the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Germany continues to rise, German authorities have called on German residents to avoid high risk areas.
He said people should refrain from unnecessary travel to Italy, which has a strict movement ban in place until April 3rd, and also affected parts of NRW, in the west of Germany.
Officials have also called on events with more than 1,000 people to be cancelled. It's resulted in cultural events being cancelled, nightclubs closing and football matches being played behind closed doors.
Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday March 11th warned that up to 70 percent of the German population could eventually contract coronavirus.
She said the main aim was to not overload the health system and urged citizens to do what they could to slow down the spread.
When it comes to protecting vulnerable people, including the elderly or those with underlying illnesses, Merkel said: "Our solidarity, our sensibility and our hearts are already being put to the test, and I hope that we will pass this test."
Meanwhile, Merkel said Germany would do what's needed when it comes to supporting the economy, health services and people during the crisis.
Health Minister Jens Spahn previously appealed to citizens not to buy masks or protective clothing – and instead to leave these for doctors and nursing staff. On Friday March 6th, large quantities of disinfectants, breathing masks, gloves and protective clothing were stolen from the children's intensive care unit of Berlin's Virchow Clinic hospital.
Out of the all of the confirmed cases since January, 25 people are fully healthy again.
Health expert Karl Lauterbach (SPD) told Business Insider that he fears care shortages in German hospitals in case of a major epidemic.
"We have bottlenecks, of course. The most notably of these is the small number of nursing staff, especially those who can work in intensive care," Lauterbach told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.
The entrance to the Berlin Charité. Photo: DPA
Large hospitals are prepared for an epidemic
Large hospitals such as the Berlin Charité, however, say that they are already prepared for an epidemic.
In the event of a sharp rise in the number of infections, there is always the possibility of postponing planned interventions or surgeries in order to create additional bed capacities at short notice, the hospital group told DPA.
The postponement would also allow additional staff to be recruited for the care of coronavirus patients.
The nine state-owned Vivantes clinics in Berlin also have about 1,860 rooms that can be insulated, according to their own statements. Berlin is the largest city in Germany with 3.7 million inhabitants.
But not every infected person falls ill, and around 80 percent show mild symptoms, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
According to current global findings, up to 15 percent of those affected develop more severe courses of the disease. These often include elderly people and patients with previous illnesses.
The isolation of those affected and the search for contact persons is carried out in order to slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible.
The aim is to maintain as much capacity as possible in the health care system.
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This story may be out of date. Please refer to our most up to date coronavirus coverage here.
A fifth death, and first in Bavaria, due to the novel coronavirus was reported on Thursday afternoon. The 80-year-old man had pre-existing medical conditions.
A fourth death due to coronavirus was confirmed earlier in the day, according to Baden-Württemberg's Ministry of Social Affairs.
The 67-year-old came from the Rems-Murr district. This was the first death reported in the southwestern state, which as of Thursday at at 5pm reported over 330 cases.
All of Germany's 16 states have had confirmed cases of the coronavirus, bringing the total number of reported infections in Germany to 2,512 as of Thursday at 5pm, or about 1,200 more cases than reported two days earlier, according to data from Johns Hopkins University and the Robert Koch Institute.
Germany's third mortality due to the coronavirus has been reported the previous day on Wednesday, in the virus hotspot of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia. It was the second death confirmed in the district, which has over 365 coronavirus cases out of about 250,000 inhabitants.
On Monday, the first two deaths from coronavirus in Germany were reported in the western German city of Essen and in Heinsberg.
READ ALSO: Germany reports first two coronavirus deaths
Saxony-Anhalt in eastern Germany had been the only state without a reported case until Tuesday morning, when public health authorities confirmed that a man from Halle in his mid-20s who had recently returned from Northern Italy had become infected with the virus. By Thursday there were 34 cases reported in the state.
There have been a a total of 123 coronavirus cases confirmed in Berlin, and growing fears after it was reported that one person spread the virus to 16 others at a nightclub in the capital's Tiergarten neighbourhood.
Over 1,000 cases are currently being reported in North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany's most populous state where an infected couple attended carnival celebrations in Heinsberg in February.
READ ALSO: 'Huge wave of solidarity': How North Rhine-Westphalia is coping with the spread of coronavirus
Growing number of infections
As the number of confirmed coronavirus infections in Germany continues to rise, German authorities have called on German residents to avoid high risk areas.
"We have bottlenecks, of course. The most notably of these is the small number of nursing staff, especially those who can work in intensive care," Lauterbach told the Passauer Neue Presse newspaper.
The entrance to the Berlin Charité. Photo: DPA
Large hospitals are prepared for an epidemic
Large hospitals such as the Berlin Charité, however, say that they are already prepared for an epidemic.
In the event of a sharp rise in the number of infections, there is always the possibility of postponing planned interventions or surgeries in order to create additional bed capacities at short notice, the hospital group told DPA.
The postponement would also allow additional staff to be recruited for the care of coronavirus patients.
The nine state-owned Vivantes clinics in Berlin also have about 1,860 rooms that can be insulated, according to their own statements. Berlin is the largest city in Germany with 3.7 million inhabitants.
But not every infected person falls ill, and around 80 percent show mild symptoms, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
According to current global findings, up to 15 percent of those affected develop more severe courses of the disease. These often include elderly people and patients with previous illnesses.
The isolation of those affected and the search for contact persons is carried out in order to slow down the spread of the virus as much as possible.
The aim is to maintain as much capacity as possible in the health care system.
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