Germany has the third highest number of coronavirus cases in Europe, but deaths are relatively few when compared with neighboring countries. This article explains why.

As of 2 April official statistics showed that 872 deaths from COVID-19 had been recorded in Germany from 73 522 confirmed cases, translating to a fatality rate of 1.2%. This compares with fatality rates of 11.9% in Italy, 9% in Spain, 8.6% in the Netherlands, 8% in the UK, and 7.1% in France.

This article discusses potential reasons for Germany’s low fatality rate, including:

• Early and high level of testing among a wide sample of the German population, which identified milder cases in younger people.
• The availability of testing at quality controlled laboratories throughout the country.
• Early action to focused on social distancing, including banning gatherings of people and isolating people who had COVID-19 or were exposed to it.
• Rules banning more than two people who lived in different households from being outside together, and mandating that people at supermarkets, pharmacies, doctor’s offices, and banks stay 1.5 to 2 metres apart.
• Adherence to contact restrictions by the majority of people in Germany