Germany disease center warns of second wave of coronavirus

Berlin, May 5 (AP) The head of Germany's national disease control center says there will be a second wave of coronavirus infections, but his country is well-prepared to deal with it.

Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, was responding Tuesday to a question about whether a planned contact-tracing app is still relevant given that new infections have slowed significantly.

Wieler put the current reproduction rate in Germany - the number of other people whom one person with the virus infects - at 0.71.

However, Wieler pointed to the nature of a pandemic and said "we know with great certainty that there will be a second wave - the majority of scientists is sure of that.

And many also assume that there will be a third wave." He said that means that "this app is not coming too late."

Wieler said that Germany's "preparation is definitely better" for a second wave.

He added that a lot has been done in recent months and doctors know more about how to deal with COVID-19 cases.

But he added: "it's clear, depending on how strong this second wave is, certain measures will of course have to be taken again if we want to slow the wave - I don't know how it could be handled differently."

Germany is currently in the process of loosening restrictions imposed in March to slow the initial coronavirus outbreak. (AP) INDIND