Horticulturalist Manfred Fell couldn't believe his eyes when his son showed him the Instagram post by US rapper SZA His small company suddenly became famous worldwide 22 million followers follow the US rapper SZA on Instagram But why is she suddenly wearing a T-shirt advertising a small German gardening company in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia With her Instagram post, helped the horticulturalist from Heinsberg to unexpected fame In the photo, SZA is wearing a jersey with the inscription "Zaun-Garten- u. Landschaftsbau Manfred Fell Heinsberg". "I have no idea how the shirt got to the USA and to the artist", Fell told the German Press Agency. He had the green shirts made in the early 1990s as company jerseys, for example for football tournaments in the area. After his son received the first messages about the photo, Fell rummaged in the attic. He actually found a few copies of the jersey in a box. SZA had probably cut off the sleeves of the long-sleeved shirt and shortened it to be belly-free. Sieh dir diesen Beitrag auf Instagram an Ein Beitrag geteilt von SZA (@sza) The 60-year-old can only guess why SZA is wearing this particular shirt He doesn't know the singer and this is the first time he has heard a song by her "Maybe she has a soft spot for gardens," he says Maybe she got the jersey from a retro store Fell is delighted with the unexpected fame for his small business with its eight employees "It's also advertising for our entire profession." Study will follow 1,000 people in Heinsberg to create plan for how to deal with virus German scientists have announced what they described as a first-of-its-kind study into how coronavirus spreads and how it can be contained using the country’s worst-hit district as a real-life laboratory The virus has spread more widely among the 250,000 residents of Heinsberg – a district in North Rhine-Westphalia bordering the Netherlands – than anywhere else in Germany with 1,281 confirmed infections and 34 deaths More than 550 people have recovered from the illness so far nicknamed “Germany’s Wuhan” after the Chinese city where the global pandemic emerged is between two to two and a half weeks ahead of the rest of the country Over the coming weeks the district will be used by leading virologists and a team of 40 medical students as a sort of laboratory for studying the virus will follow 1,000 people who have been chosen because they are representative of the German population as a whole The results will be used to create a blueprint for how Germany might deal with the virus over the next few years the head virologist at the University of Bonn “This is a big chance for the whole of Germany,” Streeck told a meeting of parliamentarians that was streamed live on television “We’ll be gathering information and practical tips as to how to deal with Covid-19 and how we can achieve further containment of it without our lives having to come to a standstill over a period of years.” ShowThe World Health Organization is recommending that people take simple precautions to reduce exposure to and transmission of the coronavirus for which there is no specific cure or vaccine The UN agency advises people to: Many countries are now enforcing or recommending curfews or lockdowns Check with your local authorities for up-to-date information about the situation in your area.  NHS advice is that anyone with symptoms should stay at home for at least 7 days If you live with other people, they should stay at home for at least 14 days to avoid spreading the infection outside the home Thank you for your feedback.The study’s results will potentially have implications for other countries The scientists will go into 500 households They will look at every aspect ofeveryday life from the extent to which children pass it on to adults how it is spread within families – from mobile phones to door handles to cups and TV remote controls – to whether pets can spread it and whether it is transferred via certain types of food “If there are ways of preventing the illness from spreading in our environment with the goal of finding out how we can freely move about in the environment together,” Streeck said “On the basis of our findings we’ll be able to make recommendations which politicians can use to guide their decision-making,” Streeck said “It could be that the measures currently in place are fine and we say: ‘Don’t reduce them.’ But I don’t expect that that we will be able to come up with a range of proposals as to how the curfews can be reduced.” By testing the immunity to Covid-19 of the study’s participants the scientists will also be able to establish what the estimated number of undetected cases might be nationwide The first results are expected to be made public next week though the entire gathering of evidence will take several weeks and its analysis is likely to be carried out over months and years Streeck said he was unaware of any other studies of its kind being carried out in other hotspots He was surprised that the government’s advisers on public health matters had not come up with the idea already He said he hoped the study would help decision-makers in the “ethical dilemma” of establishing a balance between maintaining livelihoods and managing the death rate when contradictory or false results become public the negative consequences of this becomes hard to contain Nate Breznau discusses the Heinsberg Study into COVID-19 outlining how the lack of appropriate scientific scrutiny led to policy responses that were misinformed and dangerous Breznau argues that for fast science to be reliable it needs to be underscored by access and transparency Experts are therefore crucial to filtering out the garbage and providing context to allow appropriate interpretation of results experts cannot judge the findings if the results are not transparent it may be too late for experts to filter results once the media starts running away with them When unreliable or contradictory results appear in the media, the public are unlikely to adopt new social practices. When exposed to a high degree of uncertainty the public are unable to make decisions and tend to default to their standard operating behaviours The events surrounding the Heinsberg Study in Germany offer us a glimpse of both the problems of fast science far lower than the 2% estimated by Johns Hopkins They concluded that nearly one-fifth of the public already had antibodies The key takeway points were that Germany was underway to herd immunity and lockdown measures could be reduced The presentation of the Heinsberg Study was done without context Only one scientist was present who was not part of the Study There was no preprint working paper or data for public scrutiny and peer review the normal filter that regulates dissemination of scientific research was lacking But immediate peer review is possible when other scientists are allowed not just the apparent implications of one study but it took over two months after the press conference for these to materialize because open science practices of researchers alone cannot change all of science Gérard Krause and Christian Drosten criticized the study after it was presented in a press conference Scientific discussions are now being held in social media formats accessible to everyone This increases public uncertainty because comments might appear as scientific when in fact they are intended to be politically persuasive having a review board ready to quickly evaluate fast science like the Heinsberg Study is my recommendation – one consistent with the principles of the Open Science Movement Such a board should have been called upon before the press conference Their role would be to check studies before they are released to the public especially when this release is a hyped-up political and media event as opposed to a preprint which the public are unlikely to read This blog post summarizes my own position on this subject, but is derived from a longer position paper published in German. It benefited from input from Jo Havemann, Tamara Heck, Katja Mayer, Isabella Peters and Philipp Schrögel and a stipend provided by the Freies Wissen Fellowship Image 1 credit: clker-free-vector-images via pixabay Image 2 Credit: ZDF adapted by author from this photo Nate Breznau is a social scientist focusing on social policy He is a supporter of the Open Science Movement Berkeley initiative for Transparency in the Social Sciences Catalyst and an alumnus of the Wikimedia Freies Wissen Fellow Program He is currently a principal investigator in the German Science Foundation funded project "The Reciprocal Relationship of Public Opinion and Social Policy" a postdoctoral researcher at the Comparative Research Center "The Global Dynamics of Social Policy" and a faculty member of the Bremen International Graduate School of Social Sciences at the University of Bremen Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (Firestone) a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas and an industry leading global manufacturer of commercial roofing and building solutions announced today the opening of its first greenfield plant in Heinsberg employs a workforce of approximately twenty and is located in the Dremmen District of Heinsberg The new facility represents an opportunity to supplement Firestone insulation production in North America in order to meet growing demand for complete roofing solutions in a global market Firestone currently operates fifteen manufacturing plants worldwide and sells approximately 90 million square meters of insulation materials per year all over the world “Investing in global production capabilities allows us to better serve our customers in key locations around the world,” said Philip Moors managing director of Europe and Asia for Firestone “Demand for building products continues to grow in Germany and throughout Europe and we look forward to partnering with our customers in the local market and beyond to provide industry-leading roofing solutions.” The facility’s location in Germany now allows contractors to purchase Firestone RESISTA insulation that can be used in conjunction with EPDM and TPO membranes to install a complete Firestone roofing system in every Firestone market in Europe The production and sales of Firestone polyiso (PIR) insulation boards started first week of May “We couldn’t have hoped for a better outcome,” said Wolfgang Dieder “The establishment of a production facility that manufactures high performance insulation materials is a big win for our town We’re thrilled that ‘Made in Heinsberg’ Firestone products are soon to be used all over Europe Our collaboration with all of those responsible at Firestone was perfect from day one.” a leading project developer specializing in industrial and logistics-related real estate was responsible for the planning and implementation of the project Goldbeck International acted as the prime contractor during construction About Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (www.firestonebpco.com): LLC is a leading manufacturer and supplier of trusted roofing and building envelope solutions By taking the entire building envelope into consideration Firestone Building Products meets individual customer and project needs for roofing the company also offers outstanding technical services an international network of roofing contractors distributors and field sales representatives Products include commercial roofing systems green roofing systems and daylighting systems geomembranes and silicone and acrylic liquid coatings Firestone Building Products is a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas the world’s largest tire and rubber company manufacture and market a wide range of Bridgestone Firestone and associate brand tires to address the needs of a broad range of customers automotive and commercial vehicle original equipment manufacturers The companies are also engaged in retreading operations throughout the Western Hemisphere and produce air springs roofing materials and industrial fibers and textiles The BSAM family of companies also operates the world’s largest chain of automotive tire and service centers Guided by its global corporate social responsibility commitment the company is dedicated to improving the way people move work and play in all of the communities it calls home If you're a journalist with questions about this story or other company news, please contact us. Firestone Launches Affinity AS Touring Tire to Enhance the Ride Quality, Handling of Mainstream Sedans and CUVs Bridgestone to Exhibit at 40th Space Symposium Empowering Lunar Mobility from the Ground Up Under Extreme Conditions Bridgestone to Debut First MASTERCORE Tire for Aggregate Segment with Enhanced Load Capacity and More Tire Life Bridgestone Unveils Two New Tires with ENLITEN Technology and its Advanced Digital Service Dispatch Solution at TMC 2025 LLC announced the opening of its first greenfield plant in Heinsberg HEINSBERG, Germany — Firestone Building Products Company, LLC a subsidiary of Bridgestone Americas and a global manufacturer of commercial roofing and building solutions Firestone currently operates 15 manufacturing plants worldwide and sells approximately 90 million square meters of insulation materials per year all over the world “The establishment of a production facility that manufactures high-performance insulation materials is a big win for our town a project developer specializing in industrial and logistics-related real estate A virologist from the University of Bonn is using the hard-hit region of Heinsberg as a living laboratory to study the coronavirus.  Professor Hendrik Streeck is leading a study on the region which has been dubbed "Germany's Wuhan" because of its large number of coronavirus cases and has a peculiar series of characteristics that make it rife for examination — it has a proportionately high number of cases for the country but a disproportionately low death rate from the disease.   Only 44 people — or 0.37% of people who lived in the district — have died from the disease.  Overall, Germany has had more than 113,000 confirmed cases of the disease, but just 2,349 deaths. According to the Johns Hopkins coronavirus center the German mortality rate for the disease is 2.1% which has a 12.7% mortality rate from the disease Streeck and his team are attempting to root out the sources of infection by studying residents of the northwestern region he said most cases of coronavirus in Heinsberg originated from people being close together for a significant period of time and not from touching surfaces with virus particles on them contradicting both the Center for Disease Control and National Institute of Health guidelines Streeck posited that in order to contract the virus via a surface like a doorknob "it would be necessary that someone coughs into their hand and then straight after that another person grasps the handle and goes on to touches their face," Streeck told reporters.  his study found that: "There is no significant risk of catching the disease when you go shopping Severe outbreaks of the infection were always a result of people being closer together over a longer period of time." Regardless of Streeck's claims that public activities like shopping and eating out won't increase the risk of transmission told Die Welt that the restrictive protective measures put in place in the district are working The curve of infection numbers is flattening and "Heinsberg has avoided a huge disaster," he told the paper Streeck said his aim with the study is to help develop what he calls "exit strategies" to the lockdown These are links for moving within this page The contents are as of the presentation date Please note that content may be changed at a later date Copyright © Mitsubishi Chemical Corporation Metrics details A SARS-CoV2 super-spreading event occurred during carnival in a small town in Germany Due to the rapidly imposed lockdown and its relatively closed community this town was seen as an ideal model to investigate the infection fatality rate (IFR) a 7-day seroepidemiological observational study was performed to collect information and biomaterials from a random The number of infections was determined by IgG analyses and PCR testing We found that of the 919 individuals with evaluable infection status 15.5% (95% CI:[12.3%; 19.0%]) were infected This is a fivefold higher rate than the reported cases for this community (3.1%) 22.2% of all infected individuals were asymptomatic The estimated IFR was 0.36% (95% CI:[0.29%; 0.45%]) for the community and 0.35% [0.28%; 0.45%] when age-standardized to the population of the community Participation in carnival increased both infection rate (21.3% versus 9.5% p < 0.001) and number of symptoms (estimated relative mean increase 1.6 While the infection rate here is not representative for Germany the IFR is useful to estimate the consequences of the pandemic in places with similar healthcare systems and population characteristics Whether the super-spreading event not only increases the infection rate but also affects the IFR requires further investigation different PCR-testing capacities and regulations have contributed to the variability of reported CFRs epidemiological modeling is currently associated with a large degree of uncertainty valid epidemiological modeling is urgently needed to design the most appropriate prevention and control strategies to counter the pandemic and to minimize collateral damage to societies The IFR includes infections based on both PCR testing and virus-specific antibodies PCR testing allows the inclusion of active infections before seroconversion into IFR-calculation testing for virus-specific antibodies also includes past infections and those with mild and moderate disease courses which do not tend to be captured and documented by PCR testing alone ELISA tests for a reliable serological analysis of SARS-CoV-2-specific antibodies (specificity higher than 98%) became available only recently the reliability of serological analysis is also strongly dependent on seroprevalence We chose to perform a seroepidemiological study in the German community of Gangelt 3.1% of the population were officially reported to be SARS-CoV2 PCR positive at the time of the study 2020 were followed by a massive outbreak of SARS-CoV2 infections Strict measures were immediately taken to slow down further spreading of the infection Given its relatively closed community with little tourism and travel this community was identified as an ideal model to better understand SARS-CoV2 spreading The study presented here was designed to determine the total number of infected and the IFR co-morbidities and participation in carnival festivities a carnival celebration became a SARS-CoV2 super-spreading event in the German community of Gangelt The resulting increase in SARS-CoV2-infected people was instantly countered by a complete shutdown (schools the number of reported cases (PCRrep) reached its peak around March 13 (85 reported in a four-day period) and declined thereafter with 48 new cases reported in the seven-day study period (March 30 to April 6) at the starting point of the study (March 30) the main wave of new infections had already passed The number of PCR-positive cases found in the study population (PCRnew) was 33 (four of those reported PCR positive in the past) This situation in the community of Gangelt was ideal to assess the cumulative real number of SARS-CoV2-infected individuals (area within dotted line: PCRrep b Enrollment and flow of participants through the study statistical analysis and handling of missing values are given in the Methods section IgA and IgG were quantified (Euroimmun ELISA) in single plasma samples obtained from the study participants at one time point during the seven-day acquisition period a IgG plotted against IgA in plasma of 919 study participants (log-scale The gray line indicates equality of log(IgA) and log(IgG) b Estimated percentage of IgA reactives (>0.8; black circle: 10.63% [7.48%; 13.88%]; gray circle: raw sample proportion 170/919 18.50%) and IgG reactives (>0.8; black circle: 14.11% [11.15%; 17.27%]; gray circle: raw sample proportion Estimates were corrected for household clustering (cluster bootstrap) and for sensitivity and specificity (matrix method) of the IgA (sensitivity 100%; specificity 91.2%) and IgG (sensitivity 90.9%; specificity 99.1%) ELISA Error bars refer to 95% confidence intervals c Absolute numbers of IgG reactives (rectangle with black border) PCRnew positives (rectangle with dashed border left side) and PCRrep positives (rectangle with dashed border right side) as well as the respective overlaps of values (percentages in brackets) The number of infected (total gray area) is defined as participants positive for at least one of either IgG 15.02%; raw percentages not corrected for sensitivity and specificity) d NT titers were determined by a microneutralization assay using 100 TCID50 Titers indicate the reciprocal value of the plasma dilutions that protect 50% of the wells at incubation with 100 TCID50 Samples able to suppress the cytopathic effect (CPE) in at least all three wells of the 1:2 dilution (NT titer ≥ 2.8) are depicted above the dashed line Samples for which the CPE was suppressed in one or two wells of the 1:2 dilution are shown directly below the dashed line Samples showing a CPE in all wells with either equal or reduced severity compared to the negative control were depicted at the level of the x-axis e Samples below the dashed line in d were re-evaluated using a plaque reduction neutralization test (PRNT) The neutralizing titers were calculated as the reciprocal of serum dilutions resulting in neutralization of 50% input virus (NT50) Dotted line: upper borderline for ELISA IgG ratio Source data for b is provided as a Source Data file a The number of SARS-CoV2-positive reported cases in the study population is r = 22 The observed number of infected in the study population is known from the data available (at least one of either IgG +  919) = 0.1502 is a raw estimate of the number of infected in the whole population of Gangelt (i = 0.1502 × 12,597 ≈ 1892) A raw estimate of the IFR in Gangelt is given by the number of SARS-CoV2-associated deaths (f = 7)/(i = 1892) = 0.370% b The infection rates estimated from the IgG and PCR data in the study population corrected for both sensitivity/specificity of the ELISA (matrix method) and household clustering (cluster bootstrap) An additional correction was made for the underrepresentation of reported PCR positive (PCRrep + ) in the study population (22/919 = 0.0239) as compared to the real proportion of PCRrep + in Gangelt (388/12,597 = 0.0308) increasing the infection rate by the factor 0.0308/0.0239 = 1.2866 to 19.98% [14.13%; 32.00%] (third bar from left Note that the latter confidence interval accounts for additional uncertainty in the correction factor The bars in light gray depict the values corrected for a theoretical specificity of the ELISA of 98% (light gray) instead of the 99% provided on the data sheet of the company c Infection fatality rate calculated based on the estimated infection rate and the number of SARS-CoV2-associated deaths (7 by the end of the acquisition period the estimated IFR of 0.36% [0.29%; 0.45%] (left bar) may be an estimate at the upper limit of the real IFR in Gangelt IFR estimates were obtained by dividing the number of SARS-CoV2-associated deaths (7) by the point estimates and 95% CI limits of the infection rates in b Clinical symptoms reportedly associated with SARS-CoV2-infection were analyzed (questionnaire data) a Estimated mean number of symptoms in non-infected study participants (1.61 [1.42; 1.81]) and SARS-CoV2-infected study participants (3.58 [3.01; 4.27] estimated relative mean increase in infected = 2.23 [1.82; 2.73] rho = 0.248 [0.164; 0.332]; Poisson GEE model adjusted for age and sex: estimated relative mean increase in infected = 2.18 [1.78; 2.66] Results are based on the 876 study participants without missing values in any of the symptom items (range of the observed numbers of symptoms: 0 to 12 b Raw percentages of symptoms in the 126 SARS-CoV2-infected study participants without missing values for any of the symptoms 22.22% reported that they did not have any (most left bar on x-axis: 0) of the 15 symptoms Numbers above bars indicate the total number of individuals in the respective group c IgA and IgG levels and intensity of symptoms The boxplots depict the log(IgA) (light gray) and log(IgG) (dark gray) levels in the 126 infected study participants no association between the number of symptoms (response variable) and log(IgA) (covariable) was found Similar results were obtained from a quasi-Poisson model with the number of symptoms as response variable and log(IgG) as covariable Note: Quasi-Poisson models were used instead of Poisson GEE models because the number of households was large relative to the number of analyzed study participants No adjustments for multiple comparisons were made Source data are provided as a Source Data file study participants were clustered within households a Estimated per-person infection risk by household cluster size (black dots; 95% CIs: gray lines) Estimates and CI limits were determined by fitting a logistic GEE model with the infection status as response variable and household cluster size as a factor covariable No association between household cluster size and the per-person infection risk was found (p = 0.933) b Per-person infection risk in household clusters in which at least one person was found infected (black curve based on 86 household clusters The gray line below the black curve shows the expected per-person infection risk under the assumption that infection statuses of the household cluster members are independent Estimates and CI limits were determined by fitting a logistic GEE model with the infection status as response variable and household cluster size as a factor covariable (excluding 13 household clusters of size 1 each) An association between household cluster size and the per-person infection risk was found (p < 0.001) The excess per-person infection risks are given by the deviations of the black curve from the gray reference curve (71.79% – 54.21%  = 17.59% Under the assumption that transmissions to household members occurred independently and were due to only one infected person in each household the black curve further allows for an estimation of the secondary infection risk: Assigning a 100% risk to the already infected household member these risk estimates are given by (71.79% × 2 – 100%) = 43.59% and 4-person household clusters (compared to an unconditional estimated infection risk of 15.53%) The boxplots depict the log(IgG) levels of the infected study participants in subgroups defined by the presence of co-morbidities and celebrating carnival In Gaussian models with log(IgG) as response variable Analysis was based on the 127 infected study participants that had complete data in the co-morbidity and carnival variables Absolute numbers of study participants (left to right): 19 a The association with the lifestyle factor “celebrating carnival” was analyzed (questionnaire “have you celebrated carnival?” yes/no) Celebrating carnival was not limited to attending the main carnival event (Kappensitzung in Gangelt) Estimated infection rate (%; with 95% CIs) of participants not celebrating carnival (light gray) and participants celebrating carnival (dark gray) Point estimates (filled circles) and CIs were obtained by fitting a logistic GEE model with infection status as response variable and carnival (yes/no) as a factor covariable The bars represent the raw percentage values There was a positive association between celebrating carnival and infection status (OR = 2.56 [1.67; 3.93] Similar results were obtained when adding sex and age as covariables to the GEE model (OR = 3.08 [1.92; 4.95] Analyses were based on the 915 participants that had complete data in both the carnival and the infection variables b Estimated mean number of symptoms in infected participants not celebrating carnival (light gray) and in infected participants celebrating carnival (dark gray) Point estimates (filled circles) and CIs were obtained by fitting a quasi-Poisson model with the number of symptoms as response variable and carnival (yes/no) as a factor covariable The quasi-Poisson model was used instead of a Poisson GEE model because the number of households was large relative to the number of analyzed study participants There was a positive association between celebrating carnival and the number of symptoms (estimated relative mean increase = 1.63 [1.15; 2.33] Similar results were obtained when adding sex and age as covariables to the model (estimated relative mean increase = 1.62 [1.12; 2.34] Analyses were based on the 124 infected participants that had complete data in both the carnival and infection variables c Raw percentages of infected participants celebrating carnival Adjustments for multiple comparisons were made as indicated an infected participant was defined as either PCR positive thus including present and past infections seropositives were expected to cover all infections except the very recent This may become different as the pandemic continues since a decrease in antibody titers over time needs to be considered in the calculation of the IFR the collection of materials and information including the reported cases and deaths was closed at the end of the study acquisition period (April 6) and the IFR was calculated based on those data some of the individuals still may have been acutely infected at the end of the study acquisition period (April 6) and thus may have succumbed to the infection later on in the 2-week follow-up period (until April 20) one additional COVID-19 associated death was registered The inclusion of this additional death would bring up the IFR from 0.36% to an estimated 0.41% ([0.33%; 0.52%] in Gangelt [0.21%; 0.84%] if accounting for uncertainty in the number of deaths) in the same situation including the 8th death correction for underrepresentation of reported PCR positives would bring the estimated IFR from 0.41% down to 0.32% [0.20%; 0.45%] in the community of Gangelt asymptomatic infected individuals in our study presented with substantial antibody titers at this point our study uses IgG values as an indicator whether an individual was infected but not as evidence for existing immunity a certain degree of protection might exist even if the IgG levels are below the detection threshold of the ELISA Such individuals are not counted as infected in our study yet this hidden number of infected could possibly represent an important component towards immunity in a population The analysis of anti-SARS-CoV2 IgM might help to further close this window in the future It is important to note that the infection rate in Gangelt is not fully representative for other regions in Germany or other countries. Possible limitations of this study include the following: (i) as shown in Supplementary Fig. 1 the age group of 65 years or older is overrepresented in the study cohort compared to the community of Gangelt Reasons could be that elderly people due to retirement may have had more time to participate in a study; second there may have been a higher awareness of risk because severe cases are presumed to be more likely to occur in this age group; and third immobile individuals were offered to be visited at home (ii) Study participants (all and infected) who attended carnival were younger (mean of 41 ± 20 and 45 ± 20 years) than study participants who did not attend carnival (mean of 57 ± 20 and 60 ± 21 years) it is possible that due to the younger age of participants in the super-spreading event in Gangelt the age distribution of the infected persons is different from the age distribution of infected in situations without a super-spreading event with a possible bias of the IFR towards younger age since all individuals who died in the community until the end of the study period were older than 65 years the present study allows for calculating an estimate of the IFR specifically for the group of older people (>65 years) This estimate is given by 7/(estimated number of infected people in the community ≥ 65 years) = 1.93% [1.39%; 3.05%] and is clearly higher than the respective estimate for the whole population in the community (0.36%) (iii) Study participants who attended carnival festivities may have been more aware of the risk to acquire an infection and may have been more prone to monitor and recall symptoms the possible differences in reporting and recall rates rather than exposure to a higher viral load may partially explain the higher number of symptoms in study participants who attended carnival the IFR calculated here remains a useful metric for other regions with higher or lower infection rates if the IFR calculated here were applied to Germany with a number of 6575 SARS-CoV-2-associated deaths (May 2nd the estimated number of infected in Germany would be higher than 1.8 Mio (i.e. It will be very important to determine the true average IFR for Germany because of the infection rate of ~2% in May 2020 as estimated based on the IFR an ELISA with 99% specificity will not provide reliable data under the current non-super-spreading conditions it is more reasonable to determine the IFR in high- prevalence hotspots such as in the community studied here the data of the study reported here will serve as baseline for follow-up studies to identify the corresponding IFR under different hygiene conditions This study was conducted between March 31st a community with 12,597 inhabitants (as of January 1st 2020) located in the German county of Heinsberg in North Rhine-Westphalia For this cross-sectional epidemiological study Enrollment was based on a sample of 600 persons contained in the Heinsberg civil register (“Melderegister”) which is the public authority that collects all names and addresses of the inhabitants of Gangelt Sampling was done randomly under the side condition that all 600 persons had different surnames as it was assumed that different surnames were likely to indicate different households the 600 selected persons were contacted by mail and were invited to the study acquisition center which was established at the site of a public school in Gangelt The letters sent to the 600 selected persons also included invitations for all persons living in the respective households to participate in the study Persons aged older than 80 years or immobile were offered the opportunity to be visited at home written and informed consent was provided by the persons with care and custody of the children following aged-adapted participant information After having provided written and informed consent study participants completed a questionnaire querying information medication and participation in carnival festivities (main carnival session “Kappensitzung” and others) study participants were asked to provide blood specimens and pharyngeal swabs In addition to the data provided by the study participants aggregated data on mortality and socio-demographic characteristics were collected The latter data were provided by the district administration of Heinsberg and the Statistics & IT Service of the German federal state of North Rhine-Westphalia The results presented were obtained in the context of the larger study program termed COVID-19-Case-Cluster Study. The study was approved by the Ethics Committee of the Medical Faculty of the University of Bonn (approval number 085/20) and has been registered at the German Clinical Trials Register (https://www.drks.de The study was conducted in accordance with good clinical (GCP) and epidemiological practice (GEP) standards and the Declaration of Helsinki (2013) due to time constraints in the situation of the pandemic this epidemiological non-interventional study was registered April 14 2020 shortly after the study period (March 31 to April 6 To further assess the neutralizing activity of plasma samples exhibiting neutralizing antibody titers below 2.8 in the microneutralization test a plaque reduction neutralization test was performed heat inactivated plasma samples were serially twofold diluted starting with 1:2 up to 1:1024 One-hundred twenty microliters of each plasma dilution was mixed with 100 plaque forming units (PFU) of SARS-CoV-2 in 120 µl OptiPROTMSFM (Gibco) cell culture medium 200 µl of each mixture were added to wells of a 24-well plate seated the day before with 1.5 × 105 Vero E6 cells/well the inoculum was removed and cells were overlayed with a 1:1 mixture of 1.5% carboxymethylcellulose (Sigma) in 2xMEM (Biochrom) with 4% FBS (Gibco) After incubation at 37 °C for three days in 5% CO2 the overlay was removed and the 24-well plates were fixed using a 6% formaldehyde solution and stained with 1% crystal violet in 20% ethanol REDCap (Research Electronic Data Capture) is a secure web-based software platform designed to support data capture for research studies providing (1) an intuitive interface for validated data capture; (2) audit trails for tracking data manipulation and export procedures; (3) automated export procedures for seamless data downloads to common statistical packages; and (4) procedures for data integration and interoperability with external sources Questionnaire data were recorded on site using paper case report forms and were entered into the electronic study database using double data entry by trained study personnel Comparisons between entries were made by the data management unit of the SZB; non-matches were corrected after assessing the original paper case report forms plausibility checks of demographic data were performed Study personnel were trained with respect to informed consent and study procedures prior to inclusion of first study participant The study team was supported on site in Gangelt by a quality control manager who refined workflow processes and monitored critical processes such as obtaining informed consent regulatory advice could be given whenever asked for or needed Data entry personnel was trained for double data entry prior to data entry and only then granted database access authorization Contact with the responsible data managers could be established when needed Diagnostic data were imported into the trial database automatically via validated interfaces critical data was monitored by an experienced clinical trial monitor which included (but was not limited to) a check of availability of source data (completed questionnaires) random source data verification of diagnostic data and a check of signatures of all informed consent forms obtained According to the recommendations stated in the protocol a size of 200 samples is sufficient to estimate SARS-CoV-2-prevalence rates <10% with an expected margin of error (defined by the expected width of the 95% confidence interval associated with the seroprevalence point estimate obtained using binomial likelihood) smaller than 10% In order to rule out larger margins of error due to dependencies of persons living in the same household and to be able to analyze seroprevalence (i.e. infection rates) also in subgroups defined by participant age it was planned to recruit 1000 participants living in at least 300 households Statistical analysis was carried out by two independently working statisticians (M.S. M.B.) using version 4.0.0 of the R Language for Statistical Computing (R Core Team 2020: R: A Language and Environment for Statistical Computing Austria) and version 9.4 of the SAS System for Windows (copyright © 2002-2012 by SAS Institute Inc. Participants with a missing anti-SARS-CoV-2 IgG or PCR test result were excluded from analysis as they were not evaluable for infection status Participants that did not report a previous positive PCR test result were documented as PCRrep negative Missing and unknown values in the co-morbidity and symptom variables were not imputed as listwise deletion reduced sample sizes by less than 5% Age groups were formed according to the classification system of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) which is the German federal government agency and research institute responsible for infectious disease control and prevention Descriptive analyses included the calculation of means (plus standard deviations sds) and medians (plus minimum and maximum values) for continuous variables with percentages) for categorical variables Associations between continuous variables were analyzed using the Pearson correlation coefficient (r) Boxplots were generated using the R Language for Statistical Computing GEE models with a logistic link function were applied Results of logistic GEE models are presented in terms of either back-transformed mean estimates (GEE models with a single covariable) or odds ratios (ORs Note that odds ratio estimates obtained from a GEE model with logistic link function are “population-averaged” in the sense that they represent ratios of population odds but not ratios of an individual’s odds Poisson GEE models with a logarithmic link function were used Results of Poisson GEE models are presented in terms of either back-transformed mean estimates (GEE models with a single covariable) or estimated relative mean increases/decreases (GEE models with ≥1 covariables) the estimated correlation between participants living in the same household cluster (rho) is reported Wald tests were used for hypothesis testing All CIs presented in this work were computed using the 95% level CIs are Wald CIs and were not adjusted for multiple comparisons unless otherwise stated All statistical hypothesis tests were two-sided The Bonferroni–Holm procedure was applied to adjust p-values for multiple comparisons as indicated The age-standardized IFR estimate and its CI limits were calculated by dividing the number of deaths (7) by the age-standardized estimated number of infected and its CI limits For the analysis of household clusters in which at least one person was found infected (Fig. 5b) the expected per-person infection probability under the assumption that infection statuses of the household cluster members are independent (gray line) was computed by evaluating the conditional probability p (person is infected | at least one person in the same household cluster is infected) Assuming the unconditional infection probability to be p = 0.1553 the aforementioned conditional probability is derived as p/(1 – (1 – p)2) = 0.542 Further information on research design is available in the Nature Research Reporting Summary linked to this article The data contain information that could compromise the privacy of research participants Data sharing restrictions imposed by national and trans-national data protection laws prohibit general sharing of data upon submission of a proposal to the principal investigator of this study and approval of this proposal by (i) the principal investigator (ii) the Ethics Committee of the University of Bonn and (iii) the data protection officer of the University Hospital Bonn data collected for the study can be made available to other researchers A source data file that contains the numbers presented in the figures (i.e. standard deviations etc.) is provided with this paper World Health Organization. Coronavirus (COVID-19) Dashboard. WHO, https://covid19.who.int/ (2020) Estimating the asymptomatic proportion of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) cases on board the Diamond Princess cruise ship and pneumonia due to severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2): facts and myths The Centre for Evidence-Based Medicine. Global Covid-19 Case Fatality Rates. CEBM, https://www.cebm.net/covid-19/global-covid-19-case-fatality-rates/ (2020) COVID-19 with different severity: a multi-center study of clinical features Comorbidities and multi-organ injuries in the treatment of COVID-19 Are patients with hypertension and diabetes mellitus at increased risk for COVID-19 infection Aerosol emission and superemission during human speech increase with voice loudness Preexisting influenza-specific CD4+ T cells correlate with disease protection against influenza challenge in humans Validation of the wild-type influenza A human challenge model H1N1pdMIST: an A(H1N1)pdm09 dose-finding investigational new drug study Viral load kinetics of MERS coronavirus infection Viral loads in clinical specimens and SARS manifestations Super-spreading events and contribution to transmission of MERS Presumed asymptomatic carrier transmission of COVID-19 Li, W. et al. The characteristics of household transmission of COVID-19. Clin. Infect. Dis. https://doi.org/10.1093/cid/ciaa450 (2020) COVID-19 National Emergency Response Center Korea Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Coronavirus disease-19: summary of 2,370 contact investigations of the first 30 cases in the Republic of Korea Secondary attack rate of pandemic influenza A(H1N1) 2009 in Western Australian households Probable secondary infections in households of SARS patients in Hong Kong Braun, J. et al. SARS-CoV-2-reactive T cells in healthy donors and patients with COVID-19. Nature https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-020-2598-9 (2020) Serological assays for emerging coronaviruses: challenges and pitfalls Middle East respiratory syndrome coronavirus: another zoonotic betacoronavirus causing SARS-like disease Non-neutralizing antibodies from a marburg infection survivor mediate protection by fc-effector functions and by enhancing efficacy of other antibodies Immune correlates of vaccine protection against HIV-1 acquisition Detection of 2019 novel coronavirus (2019-nCoV) by real-time RT-PCR Isolation and characterization of a bat SARS-like coronavirus that uses the ACE2 receptor Determination of 50% endpoint titer using a simple formula The REDCap consortium: building an international community of software platform partners Research electronic data capture (REDCap)-a metadata-driven methodology and workflow process for providing translational research informatics support Population-Based Age-Stratified Seroepidemiological Investigation Protocol for COVID-19 Virus Infection (HINARI Statistical analysis of correlated data using generalized estimating equations: an orientation Estimating prevalence from the results of a screening test Bootstrap Methods and Their Application (Cambridge University Press Download references The government of the German Federal State of North Rhine-Westphalia unconditionally provided 65,000 Euro to support the study are members of the Excellence Cluster ImmunoSensation EXC 2151—390873048 We would like to thank the inhabitants of Gangelt for their participation We would also like to thank the local government of Kreis Heinsberg for their support to conduct the study Art Krieg and André Karch for critical reading of an early version of the manuscript and Helmut Küchenhoff for statistical advice we would like to thank the following people who helped with the study: Gero Wilbring We thank the Medizinischer Dienst der Krankenkasse (MDK) Nordrhein for their generous help in conducting this study In particular we would like to thank: Tanja Bell and Georg Nickenig for providing control samples and the writing of the manuscript of this study were independent of any third parties including the government of North Rhine-Westphalia Open Access funding enabled and organized by Projekt DEAL German Center for Infection Research (DZIF) Institute of Clinical Chemistry and Clinical Pharmacology Birgit Stoffel-Wagner & Gunther Hartmann Martin Exner & Ricarda Maria Schmithausen contributed to the data acquisition and analysis of the data revised the work critically for important intellectual content The authors declare no competing interests Peer review information Nature Communications thanks Leonhard Held and the other reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations Download citation DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-020-19509-y Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content: a shareable link is not currently available for this article Sign up for the Nature Briefing newsletter — what matters in science Pusch is just trying to say that the human can take on antisocial characteristics when placed under considerable pressure you need to tread lightly with people experiencing the kind of crisis seen in Heinsberg right now There are some moments when people just lose it Heinsberg District Administrator Stephan Pusch: "As long as I'm in charge on Tuesday morning and the district administrator glances at his watch there are 84 registered cases of coronavirus in his district The first infected people were registered a week ago They had been celebrating carnival festivities for the past 10 days in the town of Gangelt The married couple became the first registered cases of COVID-19 in the state When Germany’s federal health minister called Pusch directly the administrator knew the situation was going to be a big deal Heinsberg has become a case study for Germany of how a district can respond to a health crisis like this When the district administrator meets a reporter The crisis team is about to meet in what will be the first of two or three meetings on this day Pusch sits in a conference room in the district offices Confused local residents stand outside the administrative offices The situation in the district is anything but business as usual Heinsberg is a flat region containing villages lined with brick rowhouses single-family homes with gravel front gardens Many people are staying at home in voluntary quarantine who live just across the border and often shop here are also keeping away Even healthy residents are staying indoors out of fear of the invisible threat and there are few customers at local book and shoe stores A pharmacist wearing gloves passes cough drops and medication through the pharmacy’s night-service window even fathers and mothers who want to see their newborn babies are stopped and asked about whom they have had contact with and whether they have a fever The local jail isn’t allowing any visits at all A flea market for children’s goods has been cancelled as has a meetup for local senior citizens and all soccer matches in the district this weekend talks about the first crisis meeting on Feb 25 and his visit to the state health minister the next day Coronavirus testing site in Gangelt: What's worse The meeting was held to discuss the case of a man who had attended a large party with his wife hosted by a local carnival association on Feb The man had danced a comedic ballet performance at the party and is now in serious condition at a hospital in Düsseldorf Pusch says he also wants to share bad news with the people in his district because he believes in transparency and communication He regularly addresses residents in videos posted on the district administration’s website and on Facebook he had published 11 videos since the beginning of the coronavirus crisis The most impactful video is probably the sixth a response to false information spread on social media claiming that people weren’t complying with the quarantine and that restricted areas would be set up Pusch told residents: "As long as I'm in charge given that entire cities and villages had been sealed off in Italy "That’s not the kind of approach you can convey to the people of Germany including quarantines and restricted areas homes of people suffering from the plague were marked with a cross on the door Pusch doesn’t think much of the idea of placing police watches in front of every home He says he spent time thinking about his own own capacities and the feelings of local residents Pusch says people "grew very alarmed by the false report.” If there hadn’t been a response to it "people would have broken out in panic” and attempted to flee - the infected and the non-infected alike The district shares a 78-kilometer long border with the Netherlands and Pusch says sealing off an area that big would have required the deployment of the German military Crises like these can only be solved together Supermarket shelves in Heinsberg: "I won’t take the risk of endangering my children." The question now is how bad the crisis actually is Experts say that there are only mild symptoms or none at all in 80 percent of the people infected and the mortality rate is between 0.3 and 0.7 percent The big questions now being asked over the cancellation of trade fairs travel cancellations and panic buying around the world The biggest: What’s worse – the virus or the panic it is fueling the district administrator could be putting local lives at risk he could paralyze public life and the economy Pusch ordered the closure of local schools and daycare centers until the end of the first week of March but he doesn’t want to have everyone and everything tested determined that it wasn’t necessary to test every single person who had been to the carnival party in Gangelt They felt that telling people they should stay home for 14 days went far enough One woman who was at the party and is still awaiting her test results at home is having difficulty grappling with what is going on she explains how she contacted the local public-health authorities who directed her to get in touch with her family doctor The doctor then told her to contact the public-health authorities She says she hasn’t heard anything else from the health office since She then waited for days and decided to have her doctor test her for the illness The woman says she can’t understand why tests aren’t being given to each of the 300 people who attended the party She recalls that when she recently cleaned her bathroom and her husband asked if he should help her so that I’ll still have something to do tomorrow.” She says that the social surveillance feels very real and that she doesn’t even dare to go to the mailbox out of fear that people will start talking about it that they might accuse her of acting irresponsibly drew a cross with his fingers when he saw her standing in the window The article you are reading originally appeared in German in issue 11/2020 (March 7th Seven Decades of Quality Journalism: The History of DER SPIEGEL  Reprints: How To License SPIEGEL Articles  a Facebook group that she administers and a caring nature When she heard about the quarantine – at one point it affected around 1,000 people in the Heinsberg district – she thought to herself The offer from her and a few others was posted in a Facebook group called "You’re a Gangelt Resident If You ...,” which has been transformed since the virus arrived in the Heinsberg district the group addressed questions like: Does anyone know a good glazier People posted about trash had been left in the forest a sheep that had been caught in a fence or a highland cow that had given birth to a pretty calf Now its members ask whether the district administrator will reopen schools and daycare centers I think it's too dangerous." Another mother agrees: "My children will be staying home I will teach them until everything is contained I won’t take the risk of endangering my children I’ll get a sick note for them and all will be good.” There are also numerous posts about medical care "It took me almost three hours to get through to my family doctor on the phone,” one laments "I’ve been trying for about an hour and I have already dialed the number over 150 times.” Some medical offices had to close after coming into contact with patients infected with the coronavirus and now the remaining doctor’s offices are overloaded as are the backup emergency telephone numbers These concerns are also being registered with a local district hotline for the public A central emergency center for coronavirus tests has been set up in the gymnasium of a school in Gangelt and a second clinic is open for testing in the nearby town of Erkelenz but patients and even doctors remain confused about the procedures Pusch is calling for help from the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians He also says it’s impossible to adhere to the rules set out by the Robert Koch Institute ordering that any doctor who has come into contact with infected patients to stop working with patients Pusch also believes that doctors who aren’t showing any symptoms should be allowed to work says she’s worried about her husband and her children but he can’t keep substituting for other doctors at his clinic indefinitely She says there’s no protective gear available and her husband can’t protect himself or even their children some protective gear has since been delivered Pusch says that the real price of cost cuts is now being felt in the corona crisis which he describes as a "test of resilience.” He asks Pusch describes an idea that contradicts previous crisis-management efforts He says that anyone who has come in contact with an infected person should monitor whether they have any symptoms of the illness they should go on with their everyday lives "I’d have to place the entire district under quarantine.” Pusch also says he is acting pragmatically and that the situation is "dynamic.”   the current pathogen isn’t Ebola or the earlier SARS virus and most of the cases seen so far have been mild it has been something of a dress rehearsal for Germany a production most are hoping will never make it to the stage She was preceded in death by her parents and her brother has owned and operated two GNC Stores for 16 years She was a member of English Lutheran Church where she had served as Director of Christian Education and Youth Sidney was also a member of Discovery Christian Church Her deepest joys were found in her love for family She is survived by her husband of 45 years Maggie Steinbach (David) of Marion Township and Kurt Heinsberg (Tina) of Fombell; brother Larry Miller of Montana; eight grandchildren Judith Heinsberg of Ross Township and Carolyn Bushman of Wisconsin Sidney was full of life and unconditional love She touched the lives of so many people and will be greatly missed A memorial service will be held at 430 p.m. in the sanctuary at English Lutheran Church Friends will be received in the Fellowship Hall from 2 to 4 p.m and also immediately following the service memorial donations may be made to Passavant Retirement Community Arrangements entrusted to BOYLAN FUNERAL HOME INC. On-line condolences at www.boylanfuneralhome Angelique Geray is a video reporter for BILD She took time between live broadcasts and writing texts to speak to a_inside and about how she copes in extreme situations a city in the east of the Democratic Republic of the Congo An epidemic that raged 6,000 kilometers away from BILD’s editorial offices epidemics or pandemics seemed to be things that happened a long way away from Germany The date on which Germany confirmed its first infection with the novel respiratory disease COVID-19 This time the pandemic was a mere 600 kilometers from the editorial offices in Berlin Tens of thousands of cases have been confirmed in Germany since most of Axel Springer’s employees have been working in the Mobile Office It was just one day after Angelique Geray had set off for Heinsberg with photographer Lars Berg fully immersed as reporters on the front line Angelique Geray has been a video reporter for BILD since 2019 attended the Axel Springer Academy and worked as a local reporter at BILD Hamburg she has always reported from dangerous locations like Iraq Angelique and Lars have set up camp in the only hotel in the town which has remained open especially for the BILD team providing an improvised newsroom in its event space No other journalists had shown up Heinsberg during this time which has meanwhile turned into a ghost town Their extended stay is helpful for their daily work Angelique takes a very pragmatic approach: “We basically started off from zero we’ve gradually built up a network with the relevant people This has allowed us to make contact with the people who can help us further.” Her telephone has become her most important tool as a reporter and is with her at all times The network soon paid off after only a few days with many of the town’s residents and those affected seeking contact on WhatsApp and Facebook As soon as the first live BILD broadcasts went out everyone in Heinsberg knew who was now following their plight in this difficult crisis acting as their voice to the outside world with some Heinsberg residents feeling themselves misunderstood and some have handed in their own suggestions for stories A dialog taking place in the middle of a town in quarantine in a time of anxiety and anguish One of the people Angelique Geray has spoken to is the town undertaker In his 20 years as a funeral director he has never worked with the corpses of people infected with a virus but now he has to take special precautions to protect himself Angelique found one encounter with a doctor in the She talked to me very openly and we soon developed a sense of trust for one another It’s an extreme situation for her and for us as well But she also does not underestimate the risk: “Everyone has to decide what risks they are willing to take that we would take all measures necessary to protect ourselves We are constantly reminding ourselves not to be careless when visiting places where the risk of infection is particularly high because we are given access to things and can gain insights that nobody else has.” She does have one important piece of advice: “You have to keep telling yourself to be careful But you just have to do everything you can to minimize the risk of infection.” the sense of danger and the feeling of crisis are tangible “We are seeing how German society deals with a crisis like this It’s something I’d never seen before – Germans reacting to this kind of situation,” she explains until now she has only experienced crisis situations outside of Germany she is feeling a little cut off from the rest of the world in Heinsberg that “people are very similar when it comes to a crisis situation The way they think and act in a crisis is very similar – whether in the Congo or in Iraq I’ve noticed that in Heinsberg as well – people have the same worries everywhere.” That is more than enough motivation for her work as a journalist in this extreme situation supplying BILD with the latest from Heinsberg for all platforms In between writing a print article and broadcasting live for BILD another video is quickly produced and edited The duo Angelique Geray and photographer Lars Berg have established a clear structure for their work together on location and follow a steady routine a photo for each story is sent to the editorial office in Berlin There the team decides what platforms they want to serve and in what form It is a balancing act: to take the time to speak to people long enough to soak up everything at the same time and make sure that no detail is missed out on That’s why Angelique leaves her smartphone and her camera running all the time it is vital for her to stop and take a deep breath every now and again Angelique plans ahead: “I like meeting people two or three times so that we can see how a story develops.” The story is not over for her when she leaves Heinsberg on Sunday after 14 days: “Life will go on in Heinsberg to see how the undertaker and the female doctor are doing There’s a lot of discussion about whether journalism is being changed by this unique crisis BILD.de has reached up to 9.53 million daily unique users  this reach means a great deal of responsibility that must be handled with care She thinks back to the virtues that are an important part of being a journalist: “Journalism has always been like that for me because I believe that being a reporter in an office doesn’t make sense Many reporters will have to remind themselves again where the real work takes place: It can be everywhere and anywhere.” The key for Angelique is to be there The past days in Heinsberg have been very intense for Angelique When she’s back in Berlin she has to stay in a 14-day quarantine and  take a break She has the support and the trust of her family in this situation “My mother loves my work and thinks it’s a good thing to do My boyfriend worries because we still know so little about the virus and they know that the experience I have gained elsewhere has taught me how to conduct myself in certain situations.” a_inside publishes the email sent by Mathias Döpfner to all employees on the occasion of the closing of the transaction with KKR and CPP Investments: Kati Degenhardt has been leading the departments "Life & Society" as well as "Science & Research" at BILD for a year and a half and has initiated numerous projects during this time including the BILD Health Summits (BILD-Gesundheitsgipfel) Ahead of the second BILD Heart Summit on April 2 she provides insights into her work: How does she and her team advance the topics of health and science at BILD What challenges does she face in the process And what is her vision to not only inform readers but also actively encourage them to lead healthier lives She also explains why health is a true matter of the heart for BILD A behind-the-scenes look at a department that not only informs but also drives change searching for the right charts for a presentation—it all takes time that’s now a thing of the past for PRO+ users The tool goes far beyond basic summarization making EMARKETER’s vast library of marketing What exactly makes it work — and how it stands out from other tools—is explained by Matthias Braun And what’s actually being served in the canteens around the government quarter POLITICO Germany’s Berlin Playbook has been answering these questions and more—sharp and landing in inboxes every morning at 7 a.m the daily newsletter has become an essential read in the German political landscape have been undergoing their journalism training at the Axel Springer Academy of Journalism & Technology since July 2024 they offer insights into their experiences with digital media transformation and share their views on journalism and the opportunities that come with new technologies While Axel Springer is widely known for its impact on journalism and technology did you know it’s also home to innovative advertising design Ringier Axel Springer Polska's (RASP) ArtStudio works closely with RASP’s advertising office to deliver innovative advertising solutions for clients At the heart of this creative hub is graphic designer Jacek Jabłoński Curious about what a day in the life of a graphic designer looks like Wondering how Jacek keeps his creativity flowing or his take on how artificial intelligence (AI) will shape the media industry Then check out our interview with him that we conducted as part of our “What’s Up” series we regularly spotlight colleagues from our global brands to learn about their work A new data center campus could be coming to the borderlands of West Germany Aachener Zeitung reports that an unnamed investor is looking to develop a data center campus in Gangelt a municipality in the district of Heinsberg The campus would be located on a 20-hectare site on the L47 adjacent to an existing industrial estate on the outskirts of Gangelt AZ suggests the site could host up to 13 buildings each totaling 6,300 sqm (67,813 sq ft); the campus would reportedly also have its own substation the investor wants to first clarify any outstanding questions such as the adequate power supply and present the project in detail to the public in the first quarter of 2025 Gangelt is located some 75km west of Cologne Last month the Gangelt council unanimously approved a 20-hectare special area called "Data Center Industrial Park" west of Gangelt behind the construction yard and fire department on the L47 Local Mayor Guido Willems suggested the potential to reuse excess heat from the data center could be beneficial to the town Data Centre Dynamics Ltd (DCD), 32-38 Saffron Hill, London, EC1N 8FH Email. [email protected]DCD is a subsidiary of InfraXmedia Notifications can be managed in browser preferences. District administrator tells Jessica Bateman how Heinsberg avoided huge levels of fatalities after becoming country’s first epicentre for Covid-19 I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. Read our Privacy notice When Heinsberg a small rural region close to the Dutch border district administrator Stephan Pusch saw an opportunity He reached out to the Chinese city and offered a partnership “The people of Wuhan and Heinsberg have had the same experience.” Since February, this village-filled district in the state of North-Rhine Westphalia has been home to Germany’s biggest Covid-19 outbreak A total of 1,711 cases have been recorded out of a population of 250,000 Other regions in Germany had time to stock up on ventilators and PPE but Heinsberg was forced immediately into crisis mode And it worked – now there are just 337 people infected The actions taken here have become a blueprint for others on how to respond to the pandemic It started when two patients with Covid-19 were submitted to intensive care in the local Hermann-Josef hospital on 25 February yet were in real life-or-death situations,” says Mr Pusch The couple had also been at carnival celebrations the week before: “It really was the worst possible conditions for spreading the virus.” The district’s crisis unit met that day and decided to lock down the region immediately “We closed schools and kindergartens and told people how to behave,” he says The rest of the country did not enter lockdown until mid-March Intensive care capacity at the small rural hospital was reached within two weeks of the outbreak beginning and staff soon suffered PPE shortages “We used in one month what we usually use in a year,” says hospital director Jann Habbinga The solution was quick cooperation with other hospitals and 30 patients were transferred elsewhere And although Germany has been praised for carrying out large numbers of coronavirus tests Mr Pusch says that it took time to work out how to deliver these “You don’t want infected people coming to the hospital,” he says and appointments are booked by phone to avoid queues The shortage of PPE also led Mr Pusch to accept donations from Chinese enterprises – a decision criticised by some as playing into the country’s propaganda strategy It also led to the aforementioned offer of a partnership: “It’s not to connect the officials Both people had a serious problem and they had to solve it.” As the idea of lockdown was unfamiliar in Germany at that point, the politician, who is from Angela Merkel’s CDU party also knew he had to communicate with the public effectively He began making daily Facebook livestreams updating residents and explaining what decisions were being made and why He believes this has been a key factor in the district’s success “I try not to use typical political speech but understandable that builds trust… You have to bring people together in solidarity so they know this is a problem we have to solve together.” One of his first priorities was to try prevent people taking out their stress on each other “I know the dangers of social media.” He also has also used the platform to quickly correct fake news messages and to warn against panic buying also started a #HSbestrong hashtag and Facebook page to help reinforce the message On the Facebook page “You Know You’re From Gangelt When…” a community page for the worst-hit town Gangelt residents are discussing whether Mr Pusch should receive a Merit Medal from the German government Both he and Mr Habbinga say the quick decision making and solution finding was down the good cooperation in the crisis team which practices emergency simulations every year “Our job will be to keep a really close view on how new cases spread,” he says. “When you have hundreds of cases [contact tracing] becomes impossible.” Like other politicians, he is pinning hopes on the development of an app that will help with contact tracing without infringing on privacy. “I hope this will work,” he concludes. Join thought-provoking conversations, follow other Independent readers and see their replies HeimkenAdvertisementNo region in Germany was hit sooner or harder by the coronavirus than Heinsberg in the state of North Rhine-Westphalia leading many newspapers to label it the German Wuhan the city of 250,000 had registered 1,307 coronavirus infections and 37 deaths recorded only 2,777 infections and 15 deaths during that same time Read more: Despite COVID-19, foreign doctors struggle to get degrees recognized Heinsberg City Hospital's senior physician and intensive care specialist Aiko Liedmann and his team have been working tirelessly to stem the tide of the virus since late February Liedmann tells DW that no one is getting paid overtime: "But I have a highly motivated team That is the one thing that makes these tough times enjoyable." Liedmann and his colleagues consider themselves fortunate because they have all the equipment they need for now. "A few weeks ago we had no idea if we would have enough protective gear to get us through the day." He says that changed when city council member Stephan Pusch of Angela Merkel's Christian Democratic Union (CDU) got involved and personally tracked down fresh supplies — from the German army and from Chinese producers Liedmann and his colleagues are treating between 20 and 30 patients infected with the coronavirus a number far lower than in the recent past In speaking of the volume of patients that have been treated No one knows how the new COVID-19 coronavirus made its way to Heinsberg and how it spread once it arrived That is something scientists now hope to find out As the district experienced the outbreak roughly three weeks before anyplace else in the country researchers are now turning it into a coronavirus laboratory Bonn-based virologist Hendrik Streeck and a team of roughly 40 researchers began work on the project Read more: Coronavirus, cold, or flu — Should I see a doctor? "We doctors are thankful for any information that might help us so the project makes a lot of sense." He also says it is too early to begin loosening social restrictions but adds that he thinks Austria's new face mask mandate for shopping is an overreaction Liedmann says he is worried the virus will continue to spread He says he is less worried about his own safety than that of his two small children "The pandemic is creating a massive amount of stress," and continually working its way into the focus of normal therapy sessions says Berlin-based psychotherapist Bettina Pessel She says she sees it every day: " The coronavirus is an uncontrollable plague or one's loved ones might be infected at some point." She says the pandemic is "stressing the herd" and pushing people to their limits: "We are social beings by nature," but personal proximity is currently forbidden She says text messages and WhatsApp can do little to alleviate the problem Pessel says she has observed two basic behavioral patterns when it comes to dealing with the current crisis: "There is one group that is trying to come to grips with these new restrictions and another that was already scared early on and is now doing very poorly." She says those in the second group are convinced that they their families or their friends are going to get sick there are those who are justifiably scared of what the future may hold for them — will they keep their job Can they afford to pay their rent and other bills According to a recent poll by the Allensbach Institute (IfD) Germans are more pessimistic and stressed than at any time since 1949 but she is certain about something else: "Domestic violence and child abuse will go up." Statistics from Wuhan very clearly illustrate that fact and Pessel is convinced that things will be no different in Germany Read more: German doctors lay down life-or-death guidelines The crisis has forced Pessel to rearrange furniture in her Berlin office ensuring a safe distance between patient and doctor But she says most of her patients are choosing to use the video counseling service she began offering at the beginning of the year instead She adds: "Those who are climbing the walls at home still come in though." Brigitte Szaszi is pretty much on her own in her countryside practice: "There used to be three of us." She says there is a shortage of medical personnel in rural areas but also elsewhere — and that this is all too apparent now "Politicians are trying hard to get a handle on the current situation but the healthcare system needed help long ago," she says Szaszi is also one of the lucky ones when it comes to protective equipment as she still had some leftover stock from the days of the swine flu She says she sensed the coming danger a few weeks ago and ordered more masks and protective overalls: "If things keep up at this rate I should have enough to last about two weeks." A number of doctors' offices in the region have already been forced to close because they did not have enough equipment to continue caring for patients Szaszi has special hours for those who fear they have contracted the coronavirus "We do most of the swabs for our tests outside," noting it is safer for everyone she gives a lot of advice over the phone and assumes she will soon have more house calls with the elderly Szaszi also says it is a good idea "to isolate those who are especially at risk." Read more: Health care system under pressure She says she was touched by the fact that so many Germans have been taking to their balconies to applaud doctors and caregivers: "It may sound a bit old fashioned but I think it's good that people have started thinking about brotherly love." Emergency doctor Gerald Wellershoff says the most important rule when it comes to patients is: "Keep your distance." He says you cannot just approach them as you could in the past: "These days I keep at least two or three meters (6.5 to 10 feet) away and try to determine whether the patient in question may have COVID-19." then he has to put on all of his protective gear: Gloves Wellershoff says ambulances in Berlin currently have enough such equipment but protective garments are already in short supply at the city's Klinikum Am Urban hospital He says so-called high-security masks are being reused by staff rather than being thrown away after one use — as they were designed to be — to "save resources." Read more: Doctor's death 'a moment of awakening' for China Now there are also new update briefings prior to each ambulance run "There we find out about the latest developments regarding COVID-19 and what they mean for us." Wellershoff says most of that information comes from the Robert Koch Institute which publishes daily news on the latest pandemic developments Wellershoff says he expects a "corona tsunami" in the not too distant future I'm not that scared about getting infected," he said, adding that he began asking neighbors who would be willing to walk his dog if he gets stuck in quarantine The ethics of treating the sickTo view this video please enable JavaScript, and consider upgrading to a web browser that supports HTML5 video LLC (Firestone) announced that it is expanding its global manufacturing capabilities with the construction of manufacturing space in Heinsberg Indianapolis ― Firestone Building Products Company, LLC (Firestone) announced that it is expanding its global manufacturing capabilities with the construction of manufacturing space in Heinsberg which will establish a European insulation manufacturing and distribution presence for Firestone positions the company to better serve the European construction market “The Heinsberg location will be the second European manufacturing facility for the company We acquired the Giscosa EPDM (ethylene propylene diene monomer) plant in Terrassa managing director of international operations and vice president “The new facility will expand production and distribution of polyiso foam the company’s polyiso foam insulation used in commercial construction.”  “The investment in expanded manufacturing capacity for our Firestone roofing insulation products is a key part of our overarching strategy to grow our business and ensure we are meeting the needs of our European and global customers,” said Tim Dunn “We are excited to work with our local business partners and government officials to expand our global operations in Heinsberg.” The facility is expected to be fully operational in 2018 Sign up for our daily Newsletter and stay up to date with all the latest news You are receiving this pop-up because this is the first time you are visiting our site You are using software which is blocking our advertisements (adblocker) we are relying on revenues from our banners So please disable your adblocker and reload the page to continue using this site.Thanks garlic or sweet potatoes have gained a lot of importance in recent years table grapes from German production are still a rarity In the greenhouses of the Kremers farm in Heinsberg red as well as light grapes have been growing and thriving since 2011 Although the plump fruits testify to quality and freshness they are mainly marketed directly from the farm whether as fresh fruit in the skin or as direct juice "Our grapes are neither fertilized nor sprayed and are therefore 100% natural," emphasizes grower and owner Heribert Kremers as he leads us through the glasshouses in order to be allowed to supply the German food retail trade To be allowed to join an association as a member I would have to pay between 800 and 1000 euros a year which in turn would no longer be profitable I have also tried in vain to acquire a few young people to grow grapes in order to supply the market together with regional and Tough competition with southern European grapesTable grapes are usually harvested and marketed from mid-July through October the harvest time for table grapes is not completely fixed; instead they can be left to hang quietly for a few more weeks and harvested as needed we would even be marketable until Nicholas then hit the market with larger quantities at lower prices (FreshPlaza.de reported) the southern European citrus season also gets going whereupon grape consumption noticeably declines." The range of products offered by Obsthof Kremers includes numerous varieties We also equipped our plants with protective nets against birds and wasps in the winter of 2021." However "Venus is the highest-yielding variety with up to 10 kg per plant and Fanny also does quite well with 7-8 kg/plant which is why we had less thermals in our glasshouses for the regionKremers took the plunge into growing table grapes in 2011 He then stocked the then empty glass houses from the 1970s with the first plants a native Iranian who worked as a consultant at the Chamber of Agriculture accompanied me closely short distances to the consumer was my motto even then we invested a lot in variety selection and built up a network of buyers," says the 61-year-old who now mainly supplies fruit farms and farm stores in a 40km radius The new season starts in mid-January with the pruning of the plants The white Maipec film is then removed so that the black film can absorb the heat properly the plants are pruned in two stages and the white film is returned to the greenhouses At this stage it is necessary to cut back the plants: The grapes need the remaining leaf mass for the last phase of growth in which the plants are cut free to eliminate rot Future of the Heinsberg table grapeAs a pioneer in table grape cultivation Kremers has had to partly invent the wheel itself a successor solution for the innovative company is still missing Will this mean that the regional table grape will soon disappear from the range I would retire in a few years and only provide advice to a young We have built up the know-how over many years and could also plant a few more hectares with table grapes But I would also be open to an alternative solution in which my plant is merged into an existing farm and rebuilt elsewhere Packed grapes in trays ready for delivery View into the grape greenhouse: due to the selection of varieties the use of Maipec films and the greater distance between the rows baking powder is used as a biological measure Heribert Kremers in his grape greenhouse: In the picture: the Venus variety Part of the yield is processed into direct juice on site Grapes ready for harvest: harvesting usually takes place three times a week For more information:Heribert Kremers Kremers Tafeltrauben End 3952525 Heinsberg+49 (2452) 7372[email protected] www.kremers-tafeltrauben.de FreshPublishers © 2005-2025 FreshPlaza.com Email Newsletters from Building Products features latest news from the Building Industry The Building products website posts the latest building industry news stories each week from around the UK Building Products is the essential read for construction industry professionals at every level The Directory provides your company the opportunity to be seen by the UK’s leading specifiers and industry decision makers Editor are celebrating not one but two milestones in Europe as the German facility passes a decade of manufacturing The celebrated firm has had a presence in the European market since the 1990s but it was a decade ago that it cut the ribbon on its very first German manufacturing facility the state-of-the-art location produces millions of metres of spacer every year It’s become an integral part of Edgetech’s global operations and a critical piece of the Quanex family more generally Managing Director of Edgetech Europe explains: “Establishing a permanent base in mainland Europe was a hugely important step for us and a key part of our plans for bringing outstanding warm-edge technology to customers around the world “Particularly through the often difficult economic conditions our sector has experienced since the start of the pandemic the capacity our German facility provides has proved vital in allowing us to continue serving our customers “I want to pay tribute to the skill and professionalism of our German employees and am confident we’ll go on to achieve even greater things together in the coming months and years.” For more information, please call 02476 639931 or visit www.edgetechig.co.uk Δdocument.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value" By registering with Business Leader you confirm that you agree to our terms & conditions and our privacy statement Your account has successfully been created.Please login to your account to set your preferences Lost your password? Fill out the form below to get emailed a password reset link Mr Streeck is a professor for virology and the director of the Institute of virology and HIV Research at the University Bonn He explained the methodology of his new study in Heinsberg the “epicentre” of Germany’s COVID-19 outbreak and talked about potential plans for a country to move forward gradually in getting back to a “normal” life his team completed substantial research conducted through surveys and investigations in homes across the Heinsberg region - where more than 1,400 confirmed cases had been reported Heinsberg has an approximate population of 250,000 inhabitants and has confirmed 46 coronavirus-related deaths These research findings have already provided some indication on how the virus works “There is no significant risk of catching the disease when you go shopping Severe outbreaks of the infection were always a result of people being closer together over a longer period of time for example the après- ski parties in Ischgl Austria.” He could also not find any evidence of ‘living’ viruses on surfaces phones or toilets it has not been possible to cultivate the virus in the laboratory on the basis of these swabs….” “To actually 'get' the virus it would be necessary that someone coughs into their hand immediately touches a door knob and then straight after that another person grasps the handle and goes on to touches their face.” Streeck therefore believes that there is little chance of transmission through contact with so-called contaminated surfaces The fact that COVID 19 is a droplet infection and cannot be transmitted through the air had previously also been confirmed by virologist Christian Drosten of Berlin's Charité. He had pointed out in an interview that coronavirus is extremely sensitive to drying out so the only way of contracting it is if you were to “inhale the droplets.” However, there are different findings on how the coronavirus spreads. Experts from the US Institute of Health CDC and NIH had come to the conclusion that the virus can survive 24 hours on paper, three hours in aerosols and up to three days on plastics and stainless steel. As the Robert Koch Institute states on their website scientific studies like this are realised under experimental conditions which is why they are not very representative for the risk of transmission in daily life Heinsberg will now be the centre for conducting another study aiming to further evaluate how the virus spreads and how it can be contained The study will follow a representative sample of 1,000 people “The results from this more detailed study could then serve as a basis for recommendations for national exit strategies out of the lockdowns,” offers Streeck “It is important to obtain this data in order to make sure that decisions are taken based on facts rather than assumptions The data should serve as a basis of information for the government so they can then think about their further course of action,” he continues Streeck says that Heinsberg offers an ideal situation to find answers for the rest of Germany maybe even Europe or indeed for the whole world Regarding the measures currently put in place he personally thinks that it is important to bear in mind the potential negative effects that some measures might bring: They might not be able to pay their rent anymore and staying inside for a longer time can lead to weakening of our immune system.”  He raises questions like: “The goal is not a complete containment of the virus We need to know where the actual capacity limits of our hospitals are “It is important to start thinking about a “rollback” strategy and his hope is to “deliver the relevant facts so that people have a good foundation for their decisions.” The primary results of the “Covid- 19 case cluster study” in Heinsberg are expected to be presented by the end of next week Editorial note: this article contains information from prior interviews as well as from the conference Im nordrhein-westfälischen Erkelenz hat sich ein 47 Jahre alter Mann mit dem Coronavirus infiziert wurden er und seine Ehefrau in die Düsseldorfer Uniklinik verlegt Nach der Infektion mit dem Coronavirus findet in allen Schulen im Kreis Heinsberg am Aschermittwoch In den Supermärkten gibt es teilweise keine Desinfektionsmittel mehr Ein Rentnerpaar packt in Gangelt auf einem Parkplatz vor einem Lebensmittelmarkt einen Einkauf aus zwei Einkaufswagen in den Kofferraum Im Kreis Heinsberg haben viele Menschen vorsorglich Lebensmittel eingekauft Lehrer Arnold Frenken steht vor der wegen des Coronavirus geschlossenen Gesamtschule Gangelt-Selfkant Die Rentnerin Rosmarie Kasper hält einen Einweghandschuh in der Hand mit dem sie sich gegen das Coronavirus schützen will Die Friseurin Michaela Loomans steht in ihrem Friseurladen den sie trotz des ersten bestätigten Coronavirus-Fall in Nordrhein-Westfalen geöffnet hat Auch das Kreisgymnasium bleibt geschlossen Erkelenz und Hückelhoven bleiben außerdem alle städtischen Einrichtungen geschlossen Ein Ordnungsamtsmitarbeiter schaut auf einen Hinweis am Rathaus in Heinsberg sagte in einem Facebook-Video: „Wir sollten nicht in Panik verfallen.“ Alle aktuellen Informationen zum Coronavirus finden Sie in unserem Liveblog.