Barbenheimer Gatherings Blamed for Germany's Covid Surge

Germany is experiencing a surge in COVID cases, with mass gatherings, including trips to the cinema to see the movies Barbie and Oppenheimer, being partly blamed for the rise in infections. COVID-related visits to doctors have increased by 175% week-on-week, and hospitalizations are up by 50%. Despite low testing rates, monitoring stations have detected an increase in viral load in wastewater. Vaccine expert Peter Hotez raised concerns about a potential post-BarbieBoxOffice COVID bump and emphasized the importance of booster shots and wearing masks.