Germany is preparing for a potential second wave of the coronavirus pandemic with the creation of "fever clinics," dedicated solely to COVID-19 testing in hospitals and health centers across the country.

In a clinic in Bad Camberg, one hour from Frankfurt, Anya Marger, has just arrived to get her COVID-19 test, after experiencing a cough and fever for two days.

"I was worried because I’m always in touch with many people, and that’s why I got the test," Anya, who works as a cashier, tells CGTN.

A nurse equipped with masks, gloves, a visor and a suit calls Anya into a room. Here Anya’s test is taken and sealed in a plastic bag with her details. In 36 hours she’ll know if she is infected or not.

The goal of Germany’s fever clinics is to separate people with potential coronavirus cases, such as Anya, from the rest of the patients in medical centers, to avoid outbreaks.

"This way we can protect the patients, our staff, the doctors and the nurses. This makes a lot of sense," Jans Russler, a general practitioner at this center tells CGTN. He says more than 2,000 people have come to his clinic and 200 have tested positive.

Although Russler has seen fewer patients during the summer, he says he's already seeing more people coming to get tested.

"For four weeks, we had no patients, now we have patients again. We definitely need this for the winter, because we won’t be able to tell right away if a patient has the flu or the coronavirus," he says.

Rising numbers

The number has been rising in the past few weeks. On Thursday, Germany reported 2,503 daily cases – the highest since April – and 12 more people died.

The increase has concerned German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who has warned that if it continues, in the next three months, numbers could rise to 19,200 per day.

"If the doubling time remains the same, it leads to very high numbers. This underlines the urgency for us to act," Merkel told reporters on Tuesday, after a meeting with state leaders at which new restriction measures were announced.

These include limiting the sale of alcoholic drinks and banning gatherings of more than 25 people in private and 50 in public, depending on the regional infection rate.

The German government has also announced it will continue to use testing as a weapon against COVID-19. Germany’s investment in its testing capacity has been praised for its success in keeping the pandemic under control back in March.  

The government has also announced a testing program in schools and the purchase of quick tests.

So far, one in eight Germans have been tested for the coronavirus. In just two months, Germany has doubled its testing capacity and it's testing more than one million people per week.

Fever clinics are part of the strategy to increase that number even more and tackle local outbreaks during the winter. Many fever clinics are already operating across Germany but the government wants to expand the project and make sure these facilities are available nationwide before the end of the fall.