Fighting The Coronavirus: Good Learnings From Germany

As we reported yesterday, with the world sharing its data, we are starting to get a better handle on understanding the coronavirus. This real-time exchange of data and insights going on across the globe right now is invaluable to global efforts to fight the spread of covid-19 more effectively.

Germany has recently contributed two important pieces to the puzzle. First, it has been conducting *many* more tests per capita than other countries (500,000/week). Due to this, they have a better picture of the true # of infected people. Their recent data suggests that the real Case Fatality Rate (CFR) for covid-19 is closer to 0.4% — substantially lower than the rates calculated for most other countries, who don’t test as aggressively. A 0.4% CFR is still concerning, but is substantially better than the previous 2-3% estimates from just a few weeks back.

Second, because it tests so many people, Germany is swiftly building a database of people who recover and therefore have anti-bodies against the virus. It plans to fast-track these folks’ return to work, so that they can get the economy recovering faster without fear of infecting others. In this way, valuable insights lead to more effective policies — just like the Czech Republic has done with the #Masks4All movement.

As we get smarter, we get stronger. This, folks, is how we’ll beat covid-19.