Germany on Tuesday lowered its coronavirus risk level from “very high” to “high” for the first time this year as the number of new infections continues to fall.
The country’s risk level had been “very high” since mid-December. The seven-day incidence rate in Germany has fallen to 35.2 per 100,000 people, less than a quarter of what of the reported rate six weeks ago, Reuters reported.
The promising progress comes amid a faster vaccine rollout, nationwide restrictions and more widespread testing.
Despite the promising development, the German government stressed that the pandemic was not over.
“In view of the developments — both in infection numbers and the situation in intensive care units — we see the dynamics that led us to the new evaluation,” German Health Minister Jens Spahn said during a news conference.
Spahn stated he was aiming to avoid reinstating nationwide restrictions.
“The pandemic is not over … things can change quickly and there are too many examples around the world of where things have gone wrong,” he added.
Spahn added that 80 to 90 percent of German adults would be offered the vaccine by mid-July and all 12- to 18-year-olds would be eligible by August.
Reuters reported that about 43 percent of Germany’s population has received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine and 18 percent are fully vaccinated.
Germany has confirmed more than 3.6 million coronavirus cases and more than 88,000 deaths since the beginning of the pandemic, according to the World Health Organization.