German Chancellor warns that two third of the German population could get infected with Coronavirus

Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to help slow the spread of coronavirus and cushion the strain on the health care system, as she warned more than two-thirds of the population could be infected.

Speaking at a news conference in Berlin, she said that the elderly and the vulnerable need to be protected.

“The virus has arrived,”.  she  said.

If conditions remain the same, and there continue to be no vaccine or treatment options, then 60 to 70 percent could be infected, she said. With older people and those with preexisting conditions at risk, “we must make sure that we protect these people and slow the expansion of the virus,” she said.

A slower infection rate will help ease the burden on the health-are system, she said. Germany has faced criticism for being slow to act with measures as infections rise steeply. At least 1,296 people have been infected, and two have died.

Health Minister Jens Spahn this week recommended that mass gatherings with more than 1,000 attendees are postponed, though Germany has faced problems in enforcing measures in its federalized system. Spahn said the recommendation does not mean that all events with less than 1,000 people should go ahead, saying caution is needed over more crowded gatherings like music concerts.




Credit - Washington Post