A 2 G' rule sign, allowing only those who have beenvaccinated or recovered from the coronaviruses disease COVID 19 to enter the store, is displayed at the entrance of a shopping mall in Leipzig, Germany, November 28, 2021, amid the COVID 19 epidemic. REUTERS Annegret Hilse file photo
BERLIN, Nov 30, Reuters -- The COVID 19 incidence rate has dropped slightly in Germany and Austria and stabilized in the Netherlands since the three countries introduced new measures to curb the spread of the disease, new data shows.
After becoming hot spots in a new wave of infections in western Europe, Austria went into a fourth full lockdown last week and the Netherlands and Germany imposed new restrictions. In the last week, 452.2 people per 100,000 were infected, down from 452.4 on Monday, according to Germany's Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases. It was the first decline since November.
The number of new cases rose slightly compared to last week to 45,753 and another 388 deaths were recorded - the highest daily figure since early March. The death toll was 101,344 as a result of that.
Austria reported 8,186 new infections on Tuesday. The incidence per 100,000 was at 936, down from a peak of 1,107 on November 22.
The week before last, the daily infections in Austria were above 15,000. The previous highest peak was 9,586 in November 2020, when a national lock down was ordered.
The Netherlands reported 21,443 new cases on Monday, as new infections have stabilised at record levels in the past week, with testing facilities reaching maximum capacity.
In the week ending Monday, about 886 cases per 100,000 people were registered. It was the slowest weekly growth since October, up 3% from the previous week.
There are still more hospital admissions in all three countries.
Hans Kluge, WHO regional director for Europe, said today that COVID 19 is the number one cause of deaths in Europe and Central Asia.
He said we have the tools to control transmission and mitigate impact. The Chancellor Angela Merkel and her designated successor Olaf Scholz were due to meet regional leaders on Tuesday to discuss how to respond after cases of the new Omicron variant were detected in Germany. Germany's Constitutional Court ruled on Tuesday that earlier lockdown measures did not violate children's rights to schooling or other constitutional freedoms, giving the government more power in deciding measures.
Germany has introduced restrictions on unvaccinated people and is increasing booster shots, but many politicians want tighter measures. Vaccination rates in Austria, Germany and the Netherlands are far behind those in southern European countries such as Portugal and Spain.