Germany's Health Minister Lauterbach warns of "massive fifth wave" due to omicron | DW News

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach warned of a "massive fifth wave" of the coronavirus the country is facing with the arrival of the omicron variant.

At a press conference in Hanover, Lauterbach said, "We must prepare for a challenge that we have not yet had in this form."

Although omicron may be milder than other variants, this might "keep deaths low for two to three weeks, before the growth of the virus would eat up this advantage," Lauterbach said, underlining that a difficult period ahead was "inevitable."

With an eye toward the approaching Christmas holiday, Lauterbach appealed to those traveling this holiday season to get tested frequently.

Germany has reimposed health restrictions following high case numbers, barring unvaccinated individuals from restaurants and non-essential commerce. The government has also placed an advance order for 80 million doses of omicron-specific vaccines being developed by Pfizer and BioNTech.

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