The number of daily Covid-19 infections in Germany has risen sharply, surpassing 65,000 for the first time since the pandemic began, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for Infectious Diseases.
“The fourth wave is hitting our country with full force,” Merkel told an event for the Association of German Cities.
According to the RKI, the country’s seven-day Covid-19 incidence rate increased by around 15,000 cases per 100,000 people in one week, raising the country’s seven-day Covid-19 incidence rate to 336.9 cases per 100,000 people. The seven-day incidence rate was still 249.1 a week ago.
“We are heading into a serious emergency at the moment. We will really have a very bad Christmas if we do not take countermeasures now,” said RKI President Lothar Wieler on Wednesday during an online debate.
“We have never been as worried as we are now,” Wieler elaborated. According to local reports, the number of critically ill Covid-19 patients is increasing. He also stated that for people suffering from strokes, it can take up to two hours to find a free intensive care bed in some places.
According to the RKI, as of Wednesday, 56.4 million people in Germany had been fully vaccinated against Covid-19, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 67.8 percent.
