ifo Institute: More registered Covid-19 Cases Due to More Infections and More Testing
The rising number of detected Covid-19 cases in Germany is due to a higher number of infections as well as increased testing, according to the ifo Institute’s calculations. “We can’t directly compare the numbers for October with those for April. That’s why political and economic decision-makers should not impose restrictions that are too stringent or implement measures that are too lax,” says ifo President Clemens Fuest. “We need restrictions that facilitate economic activity, not prevent it.”
“The spread of infection is indeed picking up pace, but not to the extent we would expect if we were to directly compare the current number of new infections with those of the first wave,” Fuest explains. “If testing in April had been as extensive as it is now, then we would have discovered a good ten thousand more cases than we did back when the first wave was at its height.”
He added: “Making face masks mandatory and conducting additional tests allow people to take part in activities that would otherwise be shut down in the name of public health: children can go to school and customers can go into shops. At the same time, there can be no economic recovery if the pandemic is not under control. For this reason, there is no real conflict between health and economic policy concerns.”
Article
Covid-19 Infections and Unknown Numbers: Are We Comparing Apples and Oranges?
ifo Institute, Munich, 2020
ifo Schnelldienst Digital, 2020, 1, No. 12, 01-05
