Germany’s health minister said Friday the COVID-19 outbreak in that country has become manageable, because the number of patients who have recovered from the virus is greater than the number that are newly infected.
Speaking at a news briefing in Berlin Friday, Health Minister Jens Spahn said compared to other nations, Germany is doing well. He said that fact makes them humble, not exuberant.
The comments follow an announcement this week by Chancellor Angela Merkel, who said initial steps would be taken to ease restrictions by allowing some shops to open as early as next week. But both she and Spahn said the restrictions should be lifted only gradually.
Spahn says Germany has carried out more than 1.7 million coronavirus tests, and he and other health experts credit that for their ability to manage the outbreak.
The German health ministry website reports, as of Friday, the country has seen a total of 133,830 cases of the virus with 3,868 deaths.
