5 years of the COVID-19 pandemic in Germany
January 27, 2020: The first COVID-19 case in Germany
On January 27, 2020, Dr. Camilla Rothe, Head of Outpatient Clinic at the Munich Tropical Institute, diagnosed Germany's first COVID-19 case together with her team and the laboratory at the Bundeswehr Institute of Microbiology. They published their findings in "Transmission of 2019-nCoV Infection from an Asymptomatic Contact in Germany" in The New England Journal of Medicine (Rothe at al. N Engl J Med. 2020). After an initial controversy, the importance of the scientific findings was internationally recognized. Time Magazine named Dr. Camilla Rothe as one of the 100 most influential people in 2020, the former Bavarian Minister of Science Bernd Sibler honored the physician in 2021 with the Pro Meritis Scientiae et Litterarum award of the Free State of Bavaria and in 2022 she was awarded the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany by Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier.
COVID-19 Response Unit and the first COVID-19 Testing Unit
Headed by Director Professor Michael Hoelscher, the Munich Tropical Institute set up a COVID-19 Response Unit with staff experienced in infection control and crisis intervention immediately after the first coronavirus case occurred in Germany. On January 28, 2020, a COVID-19 Testing Unit (CTU) was set up in a separate area of the institute's building under the direction of PD Dr. med. Günter Fröschl. This station was one of the first of its kind in Germany and was initially aimed at specific risk groups such as medical staff and travelers returning from risk areas.
Following a decision by the Bavarian State Government and in cooperation with the City of Munich, the CTU was continued as a drive/walk-through station on Munich's Georgenstraße from March 2020. At the beginning of the operation, the testing offer was primarily aimed at specific risk groups (e.g. medical staff, employees in companies with a current outbreak and travelers returning from risk areas); from September 2020, this was extended to the general population as part of the Bavarian testing strategy. Over 10,000 PCR tests were carried out during the one-year operation.
In addition to the test station, the Tropical Institute also carried out numerous training sessions for staff in retirement and nursing homes to minimize outbreaks there. In 2022, Prof. Dr Michael Hoelscher received the Bavarian Order of Merit from Minister President Dr. Markus Söder for his services in the fight against the pandemic.
April 2020: Start of the "KoCo19" antibody study
On April 3, 2020, Minister President Dr. Markus Söder and the former Minister of Science Bernd Sibler presented the "KoCo19" antibody study together with Prof. Hoelscher. The aim of the large-scale study was to analyze the spread and immunity in the population. Around 3,000 Munich households took part in the study and further supplementary studies followed (e.g. KoCoImpf study, KoCoImmu study). Further information: www.koco19.de
Vaccination campaigns at the Pinakothek der Moderne and the Bavarian State Opera
Together with the Bavarian State Government and various partners, the Tropical Institute at LMU Munich Hospital also carried out various vaccination campaigns at unusual locations such as the Pinakothek der Moderne (2021) and the Bavarian National Theater (February 2022).
Further projects of the Tropical Institute
In addition, the Tropical Institute was involved in numerous other projects such as
- Development and clinical research of a COVID-19 vaccine
- Wastewater monitoring
- Establishment of an extensive laboratory infrastructure for SARS-CoV-2 testing
- Conducting studies on the spread of infection and training healthcare staff
- Follow-up study on the spread of SARS-CoV-2 in Ethiopia
Further information on COVID-19 research at the Munich Tropical Institute
"Our years of regular infectiology training, early warning systems and crisis simulations, international networking in infection and tropical medicine and the expertise of employees experienced in outbreaks have enabled us to quickly set up a COVID-19 Response Unit. This enabled us, for example, to respond directly to the outbreak with our first COVID-19 Testing Unit in Germany after the first COVID-19 case, vaccination campaigns, training in retirement homes, etc. We were also able to draw on existing research projects (e.g. wastewater monitoring, epidemiological studies, vaccination studies).
This rapid response capability and cooperation within the network have proven their worth. The great support, funding and finding quick, pragmatic solutions in the acute situation from politicians, authorities and partners were also key. We have further expanded these structures for pandemic preparedness, and new projects, internationally recognized studies (e.g. prospective COVID-19 cohort Munich) and research infrastructures (e.g. cooperation with Fraunhofer ITMP-IIP) have emerged."
Dr. Camilla Rothe, Head of Outpatient Clinic at the Institute of Infectious Diseases and Tropical Medicine
Further information
