LOCKDOWN WAS EXCESSIVE FOR LEVEL OF CORONAVIRUS THREAT, EXPERT SAYS

BERLIN One of Germany’s most prominent virologists has said its lockdown was excessive for the coronavirus threat level.

“We went into lockdown too quickly because the prevailing concern was that there might not be enough intensive care beds, and there was pressure from the public,” Prof Hendrik Streeck said. “We are seeing a lot of asymptomatic cases, infections with no consequences. I still don’t believe that at the end of the year we will have had more deaths in Germany than in other years.”

Streeck led the first comprehensive study into the effects of the virus on an entire community, in the town of Gangelt. It found that the COVID-19 fatality rate was much lower than first thought.