Virus wave hits Berlin, GPs overwhelmed

Berlin GP practices are reporting a sharp surge in respiratory infections this October, with waiting rooms spilling out onto the pavement. In a Tagesspiegel interview published on 17 October 2026, a family doctor describes patients lining up on the street in front of her Berlin practice and appeals to the public to help ease the pressure: come in only when truly needed, use telephone consultations for simple sick notes, wear a mask when coughing, and keep vaccinations up to date for flu and Covid. The doctor says staff are working through full appointment books while also handling walk-ins with fever, sore throats and the first winter flu cases. The report ties in with a wider national trend of early-season respiratory infections and Berlin's debate over bringing back mask recommendations in public spaces. Hospital emergency departments are so far not critically overloaded, but GPs ask Berliners to protect vulnerable neighbours and to avoid going to work sick.