
Flu and Cold Season 2026/27 in Germany: What Expats Should Know
German health experts warn the 2026/27 flu season may arrive earlier than expected, with rising SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels and many at-risk groups unprotected.

Germany's Health Minister Nina Warken (CDU) has scaled back several elements of a significant healthcare reform package ahead of a scheduled vote in the Bundestag. The original reform was designed to address mounting financial pressures in Germany's statutory health insurance system — known as Krankenversicherung — which faces a structural funding gap driven by an aging population, rising treatment costs, and post-pandemic demand. While the watered-down version is less sweeping than originally planned, the direction of reform still carries real implications for everyone living and working in Germany, including the large expat and immigrant community that relies on the public health system every day.
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German health experts warn the 2026/27 flu season may arrive earlier than expected, with rising SARS-CoV-2 wastewater levels and many at-risk groups unprotected.

Coronavirus is still circulating in winter 2026. Find out which variants are active and who qualifies for a COVID vaccine in Germany this season.

Germany has recorded its first-ever Sindbis virus case, according to the Robert Koch Institut. The mosquito-borne virus usually causes mild illness.