What is Germany doing differently?

[SentimentalKiller]

I appreciate all countries are recording covid cases and deaths differently which makes comparison difficult I also know our figures must be far higher than stated. In my small area I know of approx 40 cases which GP considers to be covid but they are not tested. I know of at least 10 community deaths which won't be included in the figures
However, our ICUs are bursting at the seams and in Germany they are not. In Germany they are admitted far earlier and the outcomes are better. We are told the only treatment is O2 and paracetamol. Is Germany doing the same and, if so, is it earlier O2 that gives them better outcomes?

[esjee]

They test mode, bit also I think Germany are way more stringent about what counts as a coronavirus death. Possibly more so than is reasonable given they're the only country coming out with such figures.

[Eyewhisker]

That myth has been debunked many times. Like other countries, Germany records those dying with covid, whether it was the cause of death or not. It seems that younger people were infected, they test more so capture closer to the real fatality rate and admit people to hospital earlier. The latter is potentially the big difference as it seems very hard to be admitted to hospital here.

[Derbygerbil]

It’s worth noting that Germany are now seeing hundreds of daily deaths (most of which get recorded by Worldometer late at night so they don’t seem so bad when looking during the day!), not as many as in the UK, France, Italy or Spain, but they are badly affected.

[SentimentalKiller]

So is the space in ICUs just down to their extra capacity?

[cologne4711]

I think a lot of it is that they have more easier access to healthcare. So they will be taking people into hospital much more quickly.

I think Boris is the example of how everyone would be treated in Germany - but in the UK only the PM gets treated like that. Get in early, treatment, will be out soon I am sure. Everyone else has to wait until they are death's door, quite literally, to get anyone to take them seriously, and then it's too late for a lot of them.

We really need to rethink our attitude to healthcare and stop assuming everyone is a malingerer. Yes some people call the doctor for every sore throat but there needs to be a sensible balance. In fact I think things will be even worse after this because GPs will not return to face to face consultations and telephone triage will be the norm, so people won't bother, and things will get missed that could have been easily treated, but end up being a much bigger job.

I think some things in Germany are over the top like annual smear tests, but there's no doubt they are far better equipped in every way to deal with this.

And they are NOT massaging their covid death figures!

[cologne4711]

The Germans are seeing a lot of deaths but we have around 100 deaths per million of population and they are having about 27 so around 4 times as may deaths proportionate to the population.