The northern Bremen state in Germany has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country.

Around 84 per cent of the population in Bremen, the smallest of Germany's 16 federal states with fewer than 700,000 people, are double-vaccinated, compared with a national figure of around 72 per cent, reports news agency Reuters.

Roughly 44 per cent of the population have received a booster shot, compared with 42 per cent nationally.

Yet, Bremen is reporting one of the highest coronavirus cases in the country spurred by the Omicron variant.

The seven-day infection rate in Bremen stood at 800 cases per 100,000 residents on Thursday, the highest in Germany and more than double the national rate of 303, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases.

A data from the RKI on Thursday highlighted that Omicron accounts for more than 85 per cent of Covid infections in Bremen, well above the national figure of around 44 per cent.

As Omicron rages in the country, Germany's leaders are holding a discussion on Friday to discuss how to respond to the new variant.

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Among the measures that are being considered include shortening COVID-19 self-isolation periods over fears that health services might be stretched as case numbers spike.

The latest spurge in cases among the vaccinated corroborates several studies which noted that Omicron easily bypass immunity offered by the Covid vaccines.

However, the study also stated that vaccines help lower hospitalisation rates.

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This is being witnessed in Breman. According to spokesperson for the state’s health senate Lukas Fuhrmann, the hospitals in the region were not as burdened as they were in the first three waves of the pandemic.

He said the patients infected with the new variant were coming in with milder symptoms.

However, doctors say that the non-intensive care units were already overburdened with patients with milder symptoms and added that the situation can worsen in the coming days.

(With inputs from agencies)

The northern Bremen state in Germany has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country. Around 84 per cent of the population in Bremen, the smallest of Germany's 16 federal states with fewer than 700,000 people, are double-vaccinated, compared with a national figure of around 72 per cent, reports news agency Reuters.

The northern Bremen state in Germany has one of the highest COVID-19 vaccination rates in the country. Around 84 per cent of the population in Bremen, the smallest of Germany's 16 federal states with fewer than 700,000 people, are double-vaccinated, compared with a national figure of around 72 per cent, reports news agency Reuters. Roughly 44 per cent of the population have received a booster shot, compared with 42 per cent nationally. Yet, Bremen is reporting one of the highest coronavirus cases in the country spurred by the Omicron variant. The seven-day infection rate in Bremen stood at 800 cases per 100,000 residents on Thursday, the highest in Germany and more than double the national rate of 303, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases. A data from the RKI on Thursday highlighted that Omicron accounts for more than 85 per cent of Covid infections in Bremen, well above the national figure of around 44 per cent. As Omicron rages in the country, Germany's leaders are holding a discussion on Friday to discuss how to respond to the new variant. Also read | Party gone wrong: Canadian passengers stranded in Mexico after airlines refuse to fly them home Among the measures that are being considered include shortening COVID-19 self-isolation periods over fears that health services might be stretched as case numbers spike. The latest spurge in cases among the vaccinated corroborates several studies which noted that Omicron easily bypass immunity offered by the Covid vaccines. However, the study also stated that vaccines help lower hospitalisation rates. Also read | Omicron surge: UK to deploy troops, military medics to help hospital staff This is being witnessed in Breman. According to spokesperson for the state’s health senate Lukas Fuhrmann, the hospitals in the region were not as burdened as they were in the first three waves of the pandemic. He said the patients infected with the new variant were coming in with milder symptoms. However, doctors say that the non-intensive care units were already overburdened with patients with milder symptoms and added that the situation can worsen in the coming days. (With inputs from agencies)

In this German state, Omicron spreading among vaccinated people

Germany on Friday deployed its Air Force to transfer seriously ill COVID-19 patients from overwhelmed hospitals in the south as the country’s coronavirus cases continued to break records.

Cases in Germany have been rising sharply in recent weeks, after seeing a dip in the summer, with daily new infections hitting a record above 76,000 on Friday.

German news agency&nbsp;dpa&nbsp;reported that starting Friday, a Luftwaffe A310 medevac plane will&nbsp;start transporting seriously ill COVID patients from the southern state of Bavaria to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia

The military is setting aside two planes for such operations going forward.&nbsp;

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“Transporting 80 or 100 patients&nbsp;within Germany is possible once, or perhaps twice, but not indefinitely,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

"We must stop this wave now, otherwise we'll experience exactly what we always wanted to avoid, namely an overburdening of our health care system," he added.

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Citing the sharp rise in cases, Spahn said contacts between people need to be sharply reduced to curb the spread of the virus.

“The situation is dramatically serious, more serious than it's been at any point in the pandemic,” he told reporters in Berlin.

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Otherwise, there could be a "complete" reduction, he said, without mentioning "lockdown".

According to reports, hospitals in southern and eastern regions of Germany are running out of intensive care beds because of the large number of seriously ill COVID-19&nbsp;patients.

(With reports from agencies)

Germany on Friday deployed its Air Force to transfer seriously ill COVID-19 patients from overwhelmed hospitals in the south as the country’s coronavirus cases continued to break records.

Germany on Friday deployed its Air Force to transfer seriously ill COVID-19 patients from overwhelmed hospitals in the south as the country’s coronavirus cases continued to break records. Cases in Germany have been rising sharply in recent weeks, after seeing a dip in the summer, with daily new infections hitting a record above 76,000 on Friday. German news agency dpa reported that starting Friday, a Luftwaffe A310 medevac plane will start transporting seriously ill COVID patients from the southern state of Bavaria to the western state of North Rhine-Westphalia The military is setting aside two planes for such operations going forward. Also read | New virus variant detected in Europe as Belgium reports first case “Transporting 80 or 100 patients within Germany is possible once, or perhaps twice, but not indefinitely,” Health Minister Jens Spahn said. "We must stop this wave now, otherwise we'll experience exactly what we always wanted to avoid, namely an overburdening of our health care system," he added. Also read | South Africa says UK’s travel ban order 'seems rushed' as new Covid variant raises alarm Citing the sharp rise in cases, Spahn said contacts between people need to be sharply reduced to curb the spread of the virus. “The situation is dramatically serious, more serious than it's been at any point in the pandemic,” he told reporters in Berlin. Also read | New COVID-19 variant: From UK to France, list of countries that have banned travel to South Africa Otherwise, there could be a "complete" reduction, he said, without mentioning "lockdown". According to reports, hospitals in southern and eastern regions of Germany are running out of intensive care beds because of the large number of seriously ill COVID-19 patients. (With reports from agencies)

Germany deploys Air Force planes to transport seriously ill Covid patients as hospitals run out of bed

The Munich Christkindlmarkt, one of Germany’s oldest and biggest Christmas markets, has been cancelled for the second consecutive year, as another coronavirus wave sweeps through the country.

It’s the largest German Christmas market to be cancelled so far, as the events struggle to survive the country’s fourth virus surge after being mostly shuttered last year.

“It is bitter news that I have today for all Munich residents, and especially for the stall owners. However, the extreme situation in our hospitals and exponentially rising infection rates leave me no other choice,” said Mayor Dieter Reiter.

Germans have gathered at outdoor markets in the weeks before Christmas since the 14th century, when vendors first built their stands in city centres to sell their wares to people coming from church services. They offer an array of foods, artisanal gifts and other provisions for the coming celebrations and the long winter months.

Germany’s roughly 3,000 Christmas markets are an important economic boon to many communities. Local restaurants, breweries, bakeries and artisans depend on the annual holiday fairs for a substantial amount of their income.

The Munich market is famed for its stalls offering traditional gingerbread, grilled sausages, mulled wine and hand-painted trinkets, according to Lonely Planet.

A combination of factors has propelled Germany’s latest virus surge, among them wintry temperatures, a slow rollout of booster vaccines, and an even more pronounced spike in neighbouring eastern European nations like the Czech Republic.

Experts say the unvaccinated are driving the wave of cases that are filling up hospitals across Germany.

For the Christmas markets that remain open, only those vaccinated against the coronavirus or fully recovered from a previous infection can fully participate, Reuters reported. The unvaccinated can partake in some limited activities, such as listening to carols.

The Munich Christkindlmarkt, one of Germany’s oldest and biggest Christmas markets, has been cancelled for the second consecutive year, as another coronavirus wave sweeps through the country.

The Munich Christkindlmarkt, one of Germany’s oldest and biggest Christmas markets, has been cancelled for the second consecutive year, as another coronavirus wave sweeps through the country. It’s the largest German Christmas market to be cancelled so far, as the events struggle to survive the country’s fourth virus surge after being mostly shuttered last year. “It is bitter news that I have today for all Munich residents, and especially for the stall owners. However, the extreme situation in our hospitals and exponentially rising infection rates leave me no other choice,” said Mayor Dieter Reiter. Germans have gathered at outdoor markets in the weeks before Christmas since the 14th century, when vendors first built their stands in city centres to sell their wares to people coming from church services. They offer an array of foods, artisanal gifts and other provisions for the coming celebrations and the long winter months. Germany’s roughly 3,000 Christmas markets are an important economic boon to many communities. Local restaurants, breweries, bakeries and artisans depend on the annual holiday fairs for a substantial amount of their income. The Munich market is famed for its stalls offering traditional gingerbread, grilled sausages, mulled wine and hand-painted trinkets, according to Lonely Planet. A combination of factors has propelled Germany’s latest virus surge, among them wintry temperatures, a slow rollout of booster vaccines, and an even more pronounced spike in neighbouring eastern European nations like the Czech Republic. Experts say the unvaccinated are driving the wave of cases that are filling up hospitals across Germany. For the Christmas markets that remain open, only those vaccinated against the coronavirus or fully recovered from a previous infection can fully participate, Reuters reported. The unvaccinated can partake in some limited activities, such as listening to carols.

Munich’s famed Christmas Market cancelled again as another virus wave hammers Germany

Germany is in the midst of fourth Covid wave. Many hospitals are being overburdened, even as outgoing&nbsp;Chancellor Angela Merkel described the rise in infections as “dramatic”.

On&nbsp;Thursday, Germany registered a record 50,196 new COVID-19 infections.&nbsp;According to health authorities, it is the first time Germany has exceeded 50,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The death rates have also soared since mid-October.

According to a report from the New York Times, unvaccinated Germans are primarily responsible for the fourth Covid wave in the country, producing thousands of new daily infections — more than the country has had at any point in the pandemic.

Many factors are being attributed to surge in cases, including winter temperature, a slow rollout of booster vaccines, and more pronounced spike in infections in neighbouring eastern European nations.

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However, experts are of the opinion that unvaccinated Germans are the primary cause of the present outbreak.

“It’s our low rate of vaccination; we haven’t done what was necessary,” said Herold, a scientist, told the New York Times.

She was part of a team of scientists who modelled the impact of a fourth wave. Early in the year, she had warned that at least 85 per cent of the whole population would need to be vaccinated to avert a delta variant-fuelled crisis in the health care system.

“We are still below 70 per cent. I don’t know how we can win this race against time with the fourth wave. I fear we’ve already lost,” she was quoted as saying.

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Pressure is also building on hospitals, in an outbreak blamed on Germany's relatively low vaccination rates of just over 67 per cent.

About 1 in 3 Germans not yet fully vaccinated, the German vaccination rate is among the lowest in Western Europe, according to reports.

“What we are experiencing is above all a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the minister of health, Jens Spahn, said this month.

(With inputs from agencies)

Germany is in the midst of fourth Covid wave. Many hospitals are being overburdened, even as outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel described the rise in infections as “dramatic”.

Germany is in the midst of fourth Covid wave. Many hospitals are being overburdened, even as outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel described the rise in infections as “dramatic”. On Thursday, Germany registered a record 50,196 new COVID-19 infections. According to health authorities, it is the first time Germany has exceeded 50,000 cases since the beginning of the pandemic. The death rates have also soared since mid-October. According to a report from the New York Times, unvaccinated Germans are primarily responsible for the fourth Covid wave in the country, producing thousands of new daily infections — more than the country has had at any point in the pandemic. Many factors are being attributed to surge in cases, including winter temperature, a slow rollout of booster vaccines, and more pronounced spike in infections in neighbouring eastern European nations. Also read | 'Real emergency': Top German virologist warns of 100,000 Covid deaths as cases continue to surge However, experts are of the opinion that unvaccinated Germans are the primary cause of the present outbreak. “It’s our low rate of vaccination; we haven’t done what was necessary,” said Herold, a scientist, told the New York Times. She was part of a team of scientists who modelled the impact of a fourth wave. Early in the year, she had warned that at least 85 per cent of the whole population would need to be vaccinated to avert a delta variant-fuelled crisis in the health care system. “We are still below 70 per cent. I don’t know how we can win this race against time with the fourth wave. I fear we’ve already lost,” she was quoted as saying. Also read | 'Grave concern': Covid cases soar in Germany Pressure is also building on hospitals, in an outbreak blamed on Germany's relatively low vaccination rates of just over 67 per cent. About 1 in 3 Germans not yet fully vaccinated, the German vaccination rate is among the lowest in Western Europe, according to reports. “What we are experiencing is above all a pandemic of the unvaccinated,” the minister of health, Jens Spahn, said this month. (With inputs from agencies)

Unvaccinated Germans responsible for fourth Covid wave, say experts

German Health Minister has said that restrictions like mask-wearing and limited indoor activities for unvaccinated people will stay until next spring. However, he also said that Germany will be able to cope with the crisis better due to the vaccination drive being carried out in the country.

Germany: Highest Covid cases on Saturday since mid-May

The second wave of COVID-19 is wreaking havoc across Europe and in wake of rising Coronavirus cases, Germany has extended its lockdown until the end of January.

Germany extends and expands the partial lockdown till the January end