The COVID-19 pandemic is over in Germany, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said, as quoted by Politico.

Lauterbach, who is an epidemiologist, said at a news conference that he made that estimate based on looking at virus variants, vaccination rates and hospital cases.

"We successfully overcame the pandemic in Germany," added the Social Democrat.

Lauterbach, known for his initially cautious policies on COVID-19 during the global health crisis, has recently adopted a different tone. He was an MP at the start of the pandemic, but still had a significant influence on the government, then led by conservative Angela Merkel, as an expert in the field, often appearing on shows and garnering attention on social media.

Lauterbach said he could understand the interest in what went wrong during the crisis, but argued that Germany's strategy generally worked "because in the end the smart ones and those who were useful in Germany took control of the challenges.”

However, Lauterbach added, there are some things that, in retrospect, should have been done differently. "I believe that the long school closures were not that necessary," he pointed out.

On Tuesday, the government's expert council on COVID-19 met for the last time. After this Friday, all government protective measures against the pandemic will end, including remaining mask requirements, for example for hospital visitors.

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