GERMANY SCORES EARLY AGAINST VIRUS

BERLIN -- Late last year, long before most people had heard of the new coronavirus now sweeping the globe, scientists in Germany sprang into action to develop a test for the virus causing an unusual respiratory disease in central China. They had one by mid-January, and labs around the country were ready to start using it just weeks later, around the same time that Europe’s most populous country registered its first case. “It was clear that if the epidemic swept over here from China, then we had to start testing,” said Hendrik Borucki, a spokesman for Bioscientia Healthcare, which operates 19 labs in Germany. That quick work stands in stark contrast to delays and missteps in other countries. Coupled with Germany’s large number of intensive care beds and its early social distancing measures, it could explain one of the most interesting puzzles of the COVID-19 pandemic: Why people with the virus in Germany currently appear to be dying at much lower rates than in neighboring countries.

The numbers are remarkable: As confirmed cases in Germany passed 71,000 the death toll Wednesday was 775, according to a tally kept by Johns Hopkins University. In contrast, Italy has reported almost 106,000 infections and more than 12,400 deaths, while Spain has more than 96,000 cases, with more than 8,400 deaths. There may be many factors at play, but experts said early on that fast and widespread testing gave Germany an edge.

“The reason why we in Germany have so few deaths at the moment compared to the number of infected can be largely explained by the fact that we are doing an extremely large number of lab diagnoses,” said virologist Dr. Christian Drosten, whose team developed the first test for the new virus at Berlin’s Charité hospital -established over 300 years ago to treat plague victims.

He estimated that Germany is now capable of conducting up to 500,000 tests a week. Spain, meanwhile, tests between 105,000 and 140,000 people each week, about 20% to 30% what Early access to the test from Drosten’s team is only part of the reason for Germany’s head start. Before the country even registered its first case, authorities agreed the tests would be covered by its universal insurance system, and be available to everyone with symptoms and either recent travel to virus hotspots or close contact with a confirmed case.

Still, Germany may not be as much of an anomaly as it seems. The fact that Spain and Italy, which have seen much more intense outbreaks, are doing fewer tests indicates they are missing many mild or asymptomatic cases. That makes their fatality rates look worse than they are. But Germany, too, is likely missing cases, and experts say that all figures worldwide undercount the extent of the pandemic.

Limited testing also means the true spread of the virus is hidden in those countries -- further fueling the outbreak.

For most people, the new coronavirus causes mild or moderate symptoms. But for some, especially older adults and people with existing health problems, it can cause more severe illness and lead to death.

Ensuring those severely ill patients can be treated properly is key to managing the outbreak and preventing deaths.