Topic: Transitioning into a post-pandemic world - challenges and preparedness with

the changing global dynamic 

Country: Federal Republic of Germany
Delegate: SACHIN

Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany, is a country at the

intersection of Central and Western Europe with a population of over 83 million
within its 16 constituent states. Germany is the second-most populous country in
Europe after Russia, as well as the most populous member state of the European
Union. Its capital and largest city is Berlin, and its financial centre is Frankfurt; the
largest urban area is the Ruhr. Germany is a great power with a strong economy; it has
the largest economy in Europe, the world's fourth-largest economy by nominal GDP,
and the fifth-largest by PPP. As a global leader in several industrial, scientific and
technological sectors, it is both the world's third-largest exporter and importer of
goods. As a developed country, which ranks very high on the Human Development
Index, it offers social security and a universal health care system, environmental
protections, and a tuition-free university education.
The COVID-19 pandemic in Germany is part of the ongoing worldwide
pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory
syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). On 27 January 2020, the first case in
Germany was confirmed near Munich, Bavaria. By mid-February, the arising cluster
of cases had been fully contained. On 25 and 26 February, multiple cases related to
the Italian outbreak were detected in Baden-Württemberg. A large cluster linked to a
carnival event was formed in Heinsberg, On 9 March 2020, the first two deaths in
Germany were reported. New clusters were introduced in other regions via Heinsberg
as well as via people arriving from China, Iran and Italy, from where non-Germans
could arrive by plane until 17–18 March. German disease and epidemic control is
advised by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) according to a national pandemic plan.
The outbreaks were first managed in a containment stage, which attempted to
minimise the expansion of clusters.
Germany officially entered a recession given that its economy contracted 2.2% during
the first quarter of 2020. As of 1 April, almost half a million companies in Germany
had sent their workers on a government-subsidized short-time working scheme known
as Kurzarbeit. The German short-time work compensation scheme is similar to
schemes in France and Britain. For the first time since 2011, Germany recorded a
budget deficit, which at 4.8 per cent was second only to that of 1995, when the debts
of the Treuhand were transferred to the federal budget.
On 25 January 2021, our Health Ministry announced that we have bought 200,000
doses of experimental antibody cocktails for €400 million, to be administered at
university hospitals only, and to be used only on high-risk patients at an early stage of
the illness. The drugs, Bamlanivimab and REGN-COV-2, had been used on US
President Donald Trump after he caught the virus in October 2020. The use of the
drugs, which had not received approval by the European Medicines Agency, was
permitted under a compassionate use clause.
Compared to many other countries, Germany has managed the COVID-19 crisis well,
owing to its properly funded health system, technological edge, and decisive
leadership. But beyond any unique feature of the German system is something that all
countries can replicate: a strong commitment to building public trust.
Germany is often referred to as a positive example of how to manage the COVID-19
pandemic. We were successful in preventing the overburdening of our health system.
The curve of infections is clearly flattening. And the proportion of severe cases and
fatalities is lower in Germany than in many other countries. But this makes us humble,
rather than overconfident.