Covid Infection Surge in Germany
r.j. sigmund: There were no updates to Covid data at the CDC again this week. This first article appears to be written in reference to the current infection surge in Germany and elsewhere; we went through that 2 or 3 months ago and are likely on the backside of it now.
New coronavirus wave: “Frankenstein” variant spreading rapidly – Largely ignored by governments and trade unions, a new SARS-CoV-2 variant is spreading at great speed: the “Stratus” or “Frankenstein” variant, XFG. It is causing high levels of sickness absence in nurseries, schools and care facilities and will further increase the number of long-COVID patients.
Meanwhile, the government is pressing ahead unperturbed with its cuts to the healthcare system. In a short time, the “Stratus” variant has become the dominant strain worldwide and is showing “substantial” growth across all WHO regions (Western Pacific, North and South America, Europe). In Germany, it already accounted for 84 percent of identified SARS-CoV-2 variants at the beginning of October 2025. The XFG variant is also dominant in Austria and Switzerland, where it makes up as much as 80 percent of viral load in wastewater.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) has reported a marked rise in acute respiratory illnesses since September, affecting all age groups. Apart from rhinoviruses, SARS-CoV-2 viruses were the second most frequently detected pathogen. According to RKI data, the estimated COVID-19 incidence rate in the second week of October was around 600 infections per 100,000 inhabitants—up from about 400 the previous week. The true number of cases is far higher, since testing is now extremely limited and unsystematic.
The term “Frankenstein” variant is no exaggeration, but an accurate description of a genetic monster. XFG is a recombinant variant formed from the Omicron lineages LF.7 and LP.8.1.2—a genetic fusion of components from different virus types, creating a new, more resistant and “fitter” strain. The number of long-COVID patients will undoubtedly continue to rise.
By the end of 2024, Germany had already registered more than 1.5 million people with long COVID or ME/CFS, with a blurred line between the two: the severe chronic multi-system illness ME/CFS, which also affects very young patients, is frequently the result of a COVID-19 infection. It often leads to complete and permanent incapacity for work, as the recovery rate is only about 5 percent per year.
But institutions such as the RKI and the government are downplaying the danger. There is a lack of systematic testing and studies on the clinical effects, and reporting on severe cases (for example, in intensive care units) has been “significantly reduced.” The system is deliberately flying blind. The RKI and the Ministry of Health are advising senior citizens, vulnerable people and care workers to arrange vaccinations on their own initiative. Beyond the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO)’s recommendation for risk groups, there are no emergency plans, protective measures or public addresses concerning the XFG wave. The governing coalition in Berlin is deliberately ignoring the spread and treating COVID-19 as a private illness, comparable to influenza, where everyone is responsible for themselves. The Standing Conference of the State Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs (KMK) has decided to maintain compulsory classroom attendance in schools.
Despite rising XFG numbers in autumn 2025, it is ruling out the reintroduction of nationwide masking or testing requirements. Health Minister Nina Warken (Christian Democratic Union, CDU) is stubbornly sticking to her plan to cut €1.8 billion from hospitals alone. The healthcare budget has been slashed from €64 billion (2022) to €20 billion (2025)—less than one-third of its previous level. The trivialization of the pandemic has long since become systematic, both across Europe and worldwide. The WHO currently classifies the risk, despite the alarming spread of XFG, as “low,” claiming there is “currently no evidence that this variant causes more severe illness or more deaths than other circulating variants.” This risk assessment is cynical, not least given that, according to WHO estimates, around 36 million people in Europe are suffering from long COVID.