Merkel Gives Germans a Hard Truth About the Coronavirus

Chancellor Angela Merkel is on her way out and her power is waning, but in her typically low-key, no-nonsense manner, the German leader on Wednesday laid out some cold, hard facts on the coronavirus in a way that few other leaders have. From a report: Two in three Germans may become infected, Ms. Merkel said at a news conference that reverberated far beyond her country. There is no immunity now against the virus and no vaccine yet. It spreads exponentially, and the world now faces a pandemic. The most important thing, the chancellor said, is to slow down the spread of the coronavirus to win time for people to develop immunity, and to prevent the health care system from becoming overwhelmed. "We have to understand that many people will be infected," Ms. Merkel said. "The consensus among experts is that 60 to 70 percent of the population will be infected as long as this remains the situation." Ms. Merkel's estimates were probably a worst-case scenario, though not wildly out of line with those of experts outside Germany. Her warning provided a stark contrast to the crimped pronouncements of many other world leaders, among them President Trump, who has mostly played down the contagion. In a televised address Wednesday night, Mr. Trump took a somber tone as he suspended travel from Europe, excluding the United Kingdom, for 30 days.

Read more of this story at Slashdot.

from Slashdot https://ift.tt/2IDfHKn

Share on FacebookPlus on Google+

SUBSCRIBE TO OUR NEWSLETTER