Germany, which has taken steps to ease its lockdown measures, in recent days has seen its coronavirus reproduction rate increase.
Germany's Robert Koch Institute said on Saturday the COVID-19 reproduction rate in the country rose to 1.1, and on Sunday, it was 1.13, BBC News reports. This number indicates how many other people a person with COVID-19 infects. BBC notes the number had mostly stayed below 1 in Germany for the past three weeks, and last Thursday, it was 0.65, CNN reports.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
"I think we can safely state that the very first phase of the pandemic is behind us," Merkel said. "But we need to be very much aware we are still in the early phases and we'll be in it for the long haul."
The Guardian reports that since the reproduction number "backdates known cases to their likely day of infection, around a week earlier," the rise wouldn't reflect the spread of COVID-19 immediately following the most recent steps, but it "could account for a new mood in the country following the first step of relaxation" in April.
Although the Robert Koch Institute said there's a "degree of uncertainty" in the numbers, CNN reports, it noted this rise in the reproduction rate "makes it necessary to observe the development very closely over the coming days." It also said it's unclear at this time "whether the decreasing trend in the number of incident cases observed over the past few weeks will continue or whether case numbers will again increase."
-
How will Ford reinvent EV manufacturing to compete with China?Today's Big Question Henry Ford's assembly line system is being replaced
-
The latest entry in Ethan Coen's queer trilogy, a Jeff Buckley documentary and the rare children's horror flick in August moviesthe week recommends The month's film releases include 'Honey Don't!,' 'It's Never Over, Jeff Buckley' and 'Sketch'
-
Switzerland could experience unique economic problems from Trump's tariffsIn the Spotlight The current US tariff rate on Switzerland is among the highest in the world
-
RFK Jr. shuts down mRNA vaccine funding at agencySpeed Read The decision canceled or modified 22 projects, primarily for work on vaccines and therapeutics for respiratory viruses
-
Measles cases surge to 33-year highSpeed Read The infection was declared eliminated from the US in 2000 but has seen a resurgence amid vaccine hesitancy
-
Kennedy's vaccine panel signals skepticism, changeSpeed Read RFK Jr.'s new vaccine advisory board intends to make changes to the decades-old US immunization system
-
Kennedy ousts entire CDC vaccine advisory panelspeed read Health Secretary RFK Jr. is a longtime anti-vaccine activist who has criticized the panel of experts
-
RFK Jr. scraps Covid shots for pregnant women, kidsSpeed Read The Health Secretary announced a policy change without informing CDC officials
-
New FDA chiefs limit Covid-19 shots to elderly, sickspeed read The FDA set stricter approval standards for booster shots
-
US overdose deaths plunged 27% last yearspeed read Drug overdose still 'remains the leading cause of death for Americans aged 18-44,' said the CDC
-
Trump seeks to cut drug prices via executive orderspeed read The president's order tells pharmaceutical companies to lower prescription drug prices, but it will likely be thrown out by the courts
