Large-scale program needed before lockdown can end
The United Kingdom can learn important lessons from Germany as it strives to test 100,000 people a day for COVID-19, a target it needs to reach before there is any hope of the country's lockdown ending.
Chris Whitty, chief medical officer for England, who often appears along with other senior officials at daily government briefings on the novel coronavirus, said the high testing rate in Germany, and the relatively low death rate in that country, offer the UK a blueprint for success.
"We all know that Germany got ahead in terms of its ability to do testing for the virus. There's a lot to learn from that, and we've been trying to learn the lessons from that," he said at one of the briefings.
Germany, which has a population of 83 million, has kept its death toll from the virus well below that of the UK, which has a population of 65 million.
As of Sunday, Germany had reported 2,871 deaths from the virus, while in the UK, the figure was 9,875.
Experts believe the ability to test large numbers of people quickly ensures that authorities can properly isolate those who are infected, reducing the number of new cases and the spread of the virus.
For weeks, Germany has been testing more than 70,000 of its citizens every day. However, the UK has only recently managed to raise its daily rate to about 14,000, despite eyeing a target of testing 100,000 people a day by the end of this month.
A leaked document from Germany's Interior Ministry shows that there are plans to end the country's lockdown, once the infection rate is lowered further, from the 4 percent day-on-day rise seen last week, to about 1 percent.
Germany can dream of lifting its lockdown, as it is able to test many more people than the UK, which is in the grips of a worsening pandemic.
The reason so many people can be tested in Germany is that the country is self-sufficient in producing testing kits, whereas the UK has had to rely on imports.
UK Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab, who is leading the nation's fight against the virus as Prime Minister Boris Johnson is treated for it in a London hospital, believes the target of conducting 100,000 tests a day can be reached if British companies start developing and making testing kits.
"We are doing everything we can on every front to get all of the testing capabilities we need. The health secretary's 100,000-per-day target still stands," Raab said.
