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12 mipa 2

COVID-19 infections in Germany hit record high

Germany recorded a record high number of COVID-19 cases on Thursday
(04/11), breaking the record in December 2020. The Robert Koch Institute
(RKI), Germany's infectious disease control agency, reported 33,949 new
infections in a single day.
The report follows Health Minister Jens Spahn's statement the day before that
Germany was in the middle of a "pandemic of unvaccinated people" and that a
fourth wave of the virus was coming "in full force" across the country.
How are the hospitals and the vaccination process in Germany?
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Germany's vaccination program is lagging behind when compared to other
European countries. Health Minister Spahn warned that those who did not
want to be vaccinated could face new restrictions, such as being barred from
shopping and visiting restaurants.
Recent figures from the RKI show that only 66.5% of people in Germany have
been fully vaccinated, compared to 88% in Portugal and 81% in Spain.
Hospitals are also starting to feel pressure due to the increasing number of
patients filling intensive care units, the vast majority of whom have not been
vaccinated against COVID-19.
On Wednesday night (03/11), the seven-day rate of hospitalizations per
100,000 residents, which is the German government's new key statistic for
measuring the severity of the pandemic, rose to 3.62 from 3.29 the previous
day.
What is the minister of health arguing about?
Spahn met with health ministers from Germany's 16 federal states on Thursday
in the southern German city of Lindau to discuss the possibility of imposing the
new restrictions.
In recent months, although in public spaces people still have to wear masks,
most sectors of life in Germany have returned to normal.
During the two-day talks, the health ministers will also discuss the booster
dose campaign, which has been criticized for not being clear who can get it,
and where the booster vaccine dose can be obtained.
The Minister of Health for the State of Bavaria, Klaus Holetschek, who chaired
the conference, called for giving boosters to everyone, not just the elderly and
the vulnerable.
"We need to very, very clearly determine what the next steps are," Holetschek
said ahead of the meeting. He added that it was clear "that the medical sector
is reaching its limits."
In addition, the ministers also discussed the possibility of ending the state of
emergency in Germany, which is planned to end on November 25. This status
gives the federal government more latitude to control the pandemic.
Will the state of emergency in Germany end soon?
Three parties working to form Germany's forthcoming coalition government
have signaled they will let the state of emergency end, despite requests to the
contrary from state leaders.
Ministers will also consider issuing new safety measures for businesses and
public institutions. In many places, those who have received the vaccine and
recovered or can show a negative test result are allowed to enter public
spaces.
However, this new safety requirement may later only allow people who have
recovered from COVID-19 and who have been vaccinated to enter the building,
while negative tests are no longer accepted. This rule is known as 2G in
Germany, namely geimpft (already vaccinated) and genesen (recovered).
However, not all health experts agree with this possible new requirement.
"We don't do tests anymore, that's why I think rules like 2G are relatively
dangerous. Last fall and winter, testing helped us a lot," Hendrik Streeck,
director of Germany's University of Bonn Institute of Virology, told DW. "Even
now, tests are needed for both vaccinated and unvaccinated," he added.
Some countries with stricter regulations require people who have recovered
from COVID-19 and have been vaccinated to also test negative. Experts say
that this rule should be especially considered for entering nursing homes.
"People who have been vaccinated are hardly tested at all in Germany, so we
don't know how many people who are vaccinated are infected and can
transmit the virus," said Hendrik Streeck.
While Ulrich Weigeldt, head of Germany's association of general practitioners,
told German newspaper Bild that unvaccinated people "should not be allowed
to come into contact with vulnerable groups ... this applies to senior care
homes as well as intensive care units."

Structure
1.News worthy event : Germany recorded a record high number of COVID-19
cases on Thursday (04/11), breaking the record in December 2020. The Robert
Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's infectious disease control agency, reported
33,949 new infections in a single day. (Paragraph 1)
2. Background event : in Jerman
3. Source : the writer : DW INDONESIA
The Informan : institur Robert Coch, Menteri Kesehatan Spahn 
Link :https://today.line.me/id/v2/article/vXXxLXK?utm_source=copyshare
Languange feature
1.Ssimple present tense : “The report follows Health Minister Jens Spah…..”
( paragraph 2)
2. Simple future tense : “Will the state of emergency in Germany end soon?”
3. Indirect speech : Experts say that this rule should be especially considered
for entering nursing homes. (Paragraph 18)
4. Direct speech : "People who have been vaccinated are hardly tested at all in
Germany, so we don't know how many people who are vaccinated are infected
and can transmit the virus," said Hendrik Streeck. (Paragraph 19)