![Karl Lauterbach](/sites/default/files/styles/large/public/2021-12/Karl%20Lauterbach.jpg?itok=bfVVU7kv)
BERLIN, Dec 17 (Reuters) - German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, a former epidemiology professor famed for his bearish COVID-19 forecasts, said he expected the omicron variant of the coronavirus to unleash a "massive fifth wave" of the pandemic.
He added during a visit to the region of Lower Saxony that Germany had to prepare for a challenge "that we have never seen in this form before".