Covid Europe and the fourth wave. Vaccine, testing, and closure: strategies

London expects the third dose of the vaccine, Germany forms the army, and Austria decides to close by today for vaccination. The fourth wave of the Corona virus is frightening Europe and every country, battling thousands of infections, and launching its own strategy to deal with the emergency.

Germany

Pushed standard infection Germany returns free swabs and testsIt was deleted a few weeks ago. The country is archived a day with 45,081 new cases and a record incidence: 277.4 positive per 100,000 population. The picture, completed by another 228 dead, rings new alarm bells.

“We have difficult weeks ahead,” Chancellor Angela Merkel said, urging those who have not yet done so to get vaccinated. The chancellor emphasized that the situation is almost as serious as it was a year ago, when a partial lockdown, which lasted for months, was necessary. However, he added, the Germans now had a vaccine weapon at their disposal. “We need to take advantage of that quickly,” Merkel said. “I am asking you to join in and impress your family and friends.”

To manage the situation, Germany is preparing to mobilize 12,000 soldiers to help the health services. Der Spiegel expected the army to start working by Christmas. Among their tasks are the supply of third doses of the vaccine and tests for nursing homes and hospitals. At the moment, the number of military personnel in the field is 630.

Great Britain

London expects a third dose of the Covid vaccine. The government will allow citizens to receive the booster 5 months – not 6 – after the end of the normal course of vaccination. The goal, the Guardian wrote, is to reduce pressure on health services and hospitals as winter approaches.

It is unclear whether the new directive will only apply to England or if it will be extended to the whole of the United Kingdom. In any case, for millions of people, the third dose is bound to arrive early. Across the channel, 12 million third doses have already been administered, but the process – according to the health system – must be simplified and accelerated. Meanwhile, 38,351 new infections were recorded in the past 24 hours, and 157 deaths were attributed to Covid in the same time period.

Austria

Today is an important day in Austria: The green light in Vienna is expected to lead to the closure of the unvaccinated Starting tomorrow, Monday, November 15th. According to the draft proposal, the measures will remain in place until November 24, Dpa expects. Waist circumference is necessary to “avoid the collapse of the health system”.

The federal government will discuss the text today with district leaders, the process should not be shaken and the green light should arrive in the evening. The rules are known: Those who haven’t been vaccinated or recovered from Covid will be able to leave home, as in previous lockdowns, to work, shop or in emergencies, to be outdoors for physical or mental health needs or to practice religious worship. Children under 12 years old are excluded.

France

In France, the focus is on intensive care: the number of patients hospitalized in a critical area has risen to 1202. For the rest, 234 people have been hospitalized in France in the past 24 hours due to the Corona virus, as announced by the health authorities. Over the past seven days, the average has been 314 admissions per day, a number that appears to have leveled off, as for the hospital death toll, 33 per day.