Germany's health minister has warned that lifting COVID-19 restrictions too quickly could lead to a fresh wave of serious infections. As a trained virologist, Karl Lauterbach made his warning amid growing pressure from some German states to begin loosening restrictions amid fading fears over the pandemic.

At a COVID-19 briefing in Berlin, Lauterbach said it was premature to discuss loosening rules now, given the high daily mortality rate.

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"Far-reaching easing of restrictions currently being discussed are not justifiable," he said. "I'm surprised about some of the political discussions going on right now. 

"We still haven't reached the peak of the wave. Every day, we have to mourn between 100 and 150 people who die, far too many. We have managed to kind of control the wave with the (current) measures in place."

Europe begins to open

Countries like Sweden, Denmark, and the UK have removed many if not all restrictions as relatively high vaccination rates have helped the continent weather the Omicron storm.

Those decisions pressure lawmakers elsewhere to accelerate their reopening plans – even in countries with infection rates at record highs.

In Germany, several states have signaled they want to start loosening rules around mask use and the requirement of COVID-19 passes to enter non-essential retail.

Much of the decision-making power on the restrictions lies with state governments, placing Lauterbach in a balancing act, trying to maintain unity between the federal government and the country's 16 states.

"If some of the restrictions are lifted any time soon, we would significantly extend the wave," he said. "We would probably not just risk a setback, but we would also not succeed in achieving our goal to flatten the curve."

Watch out for variants

Lauterbach also warned about the threat of new variants scuppering the progress that has been made and stressed vigilance in minimizing the risk to vulnerable patients.

"Many of the variants we will probably still have to deal with already exist. They are already inside humans and in the process of being developed, and maybe they are even inside animals. So unfortunately, this isn't over yet."