DURING THE LETHAL COVID-19 pandemic, I feel fortunate to live in Germany. Its safety net, reinforced with billions of euros in new state funding, has thus far protected my small family and most of my acquaintances, many of whom, like me, are self-employed. Indeed, when called upon in crisis, the German Sozialstaat, or welfare state-even in its present hobbled version-has come to the aid of most of Germany’s inhabitants.
Here in Berlin, the virus itself has not hit nearly as hard as in other Western European cities: 221 deaths and 8,802 infections as of July 22. Across Germany, the deaths per 100,000 inhabitants has been one of the lowest in the developed world, about 11 (and half that in Berlin). By comparison, the UK stands at 68, Chile at 45, and the United States at 42. Concentrated, localized outbreaks are still happening, such as earlier this month in central Germany at the industrial meat-processing plant Tönnies, where 1,500 workers- mainly Eastern Europeans sharing cramped quarters-tested positive.
Germany’s low toll reflects its early widespread testing, efficient tracking system, as well as prodigious state-of-the-art facilities. Before the crisis, in 2012, Germany had the highest number of ICU beds in Europe, 29 per 100,000 people, compared to 12 in Italy and 6 in the Netherlands. And when the message from the WHO to “test, test, test” came on March 16, Germany immediately began expanding its laboratory facilities for en masse testing. In August, Germany introduced compulsory COVID-19 testing for vacationers returning from high-risk destinations such as Spain.