Germany reported a sudden and significant rise in coronavirus infections, increasing fears of a second outbreak.
The news came as the World Health Organisation on Sunday said more than 183,000 people were infected in the highest daily rise.
Germany has experienced a rise of the “R” virus reproduction rate, which has reached 2.88 after weeks of decline. In Britain, the R rate is between 0.7 and 0.9.
Concerns for a second wave in Europe grew as Germany was seen as having tackled Covid-19 most effectively. While other European countries such as France, Britain and Italy have each suffered high death tolls – about 30,000 or more – Germany’s has remained below 9,000.
Early and effective lockdown measures as well as an efficient contact tracing system led to low infection rates.
But fears that the country with Europe’s largest economy will have to go into a second lockdown have been raised after the Robert Koch Institute for public health in Berlin said the rate had gone up from 1.06 on Friday, when 770 became infected, to 2.88 on Sunday.
This meant that for every 100 people infected another 288 were likely to have the virus passed to them. To contain the illness, a figure of less than 1 was required.
The sudden spike was in part blamed on an outbreak at a meat processing factory in North Rhine-Westphalia. More than 1,300 employees at Tonnies meat factory have tested positive over the past week.
Armin Laschet, the regional leader, told Die Welt newspaper that a nationwide lockdown could "not to be ruled out at the moment". The number of contact tracing teams in the area was to be increased from 32 on Monday.
Elsewhere in Germany, outbreaks were reported in hospitals and nursing homes, asylum seeker centres, among those harvesting crops and at religious and family gatherings. The country has counted 191,000 infections and 8,962 deaths from Covid-19.
In the past week, the number of people suffering from the disease increased by more than 1,000.
Germany’s R rate rise came after Nato chiefs announced a new action plan to contain a potential second wave with a major stockpile of medicine and protective equipment.
With no vaccine likely until next year, the disease is continuing to ravage countries.
The leading virus expert, Professor Peter Piot of the London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, told the BBC: “The good news is that in many countries including the UK, we’ve been able to bring down the spread. The bad news is that the virus has not gone away … It is spreading at an increased pace, particularly in the Americas.”
The greatest daily global tally came in Brazil on Sunday with 54,771 new infections, followed by the United States with 36,617. India reported 15,400 new cases.
Asked about the possibility of a second wave, Prof Piot said: “What is going to happen nearly certainly is a so-called second wave of outbreaks. I don’t think and I hope it is not going to be a tsunami. It won’t take us by surprise, we know much better what to do.”
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Sole survivors
- Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
- George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
- Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
- Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
Important questions to consider
1. Where on the plane does my pet travel?
There are different types of travel available for pets:
- Manifest cargo
- Excess luggage in the hold
- Excess luggage in the cabin
Each option is safe. The feasibility of each option is based on the size and breed of your pet, the airline they are traveling on and country they are travelling to.
2. What is the difference between my pet traveling as manifest cargo or as excess luggage?
If traveling as manifest cargo, your pet is traveling in the front hold of the plane and can travel with or without you being on the same plane. The cost of your pets travel is based on volumetric weight, in other words, the size of their travel crate.
If traveling as excess luggage, your pet will be in the rear hold of the plane and must be traveling under the ticket of a human passenger. The cost of your pets travel is based on the actual (combined) weight of your pet in their crate.
3. What happens when my pet arrives in the country they are traveling to?
As soon as the flight arrives, your pet will be taken from the plane straight to the airport terminal.
If your pet is traveling as excess luggage, they will taken to the oversized luggage area in the arrival hall. Once you clear passport control, you will be able to collect them at the same time as your normal luggage. As you exit the airport via the ‘something to declare’ customs channel you will be asked to present your pets travel paperwork to the customs official and / or the vet on duty.
If your pet is traveling as manifest cargo, they will be taken to the Animal Reception Centre. There, their documentation will be reviewed by the staff of the ARC to ensure all is in order. At the same time, relevant customs formalities will be completed by staff based at the arriving airport.
4. How long does the travel paperwork and other travel preparations take?
This depends entirely on the location that your pet is traveling to. Your pet relocation compnay will provide you with an accurate timeline of how long the relevant preparations will take and at what point in the process the various steps must be taken.
In some cases they can get your pet ‘travel ready’ in a few days. In others it can be up to six months or more.
5. What vaccinations does my pet need to travel?
Regardless of where your pet is traveling, they will need certain vaccinations. The exact vaccinations they need are entirely dependent on the location they are traveling to. The one vaccination that is mandatory for every country your pet may travel to is a rabies vaccination.
Other vaccinations may also be necessary. These will be advised to you as relevant. In every situation, it is essential to keep your vaccinations current and to not miss a due date, even by one day. To do so could severely hinder your pets travel plans.
Source: Pawsome Pets UAE
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