Germany's COVID-19 death toll passes 100,000
FRANKFURT: Germany announced record COVID-19 fatalities and
infections on Thursday (Nov 25) as its total death toll passed 100,000, with
its most severe virus wave yet breaking just as a new government prepares to
take the reins.
Germany weathered earlier bouts of the pandemic better than many other European countries, but has seen a recent resurgence, with intensive-care beds rapidly filling up.
Europe's largest economy recorded 351 fatalities in the past
24 hours, bringing the total death toll since the start of the pandemic to
100,119, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), a public
health agency.
The weekly incidence rate also hit an all-time high of 419.7
new infections per 100,000 people, RKI announced.
The escalating health crisis poses an immediate challenge to
the new coalition government set to take over from Angela Merkel's Cabinet next
month.
The spike in Germany comes as Europe has re-emerged as the
pandemic's epicentre, with the continent battling sluggish vaccine uptake in
some nations, the highly contagious Delta variant, colder weather moving people
indoors and the easing of restrictions. Last week, more than 2.5 million cases
and almost 30,000 COVID-19-related deaths were recorded in Europe, making it by
far the region currently worst hit by the virus, according to AFP's tally.
"ACUTE OVERLOAD"
In a sign of the severity of the virus wave hitting Germany,
its health sector has had to call on hospitals elsewhere in the European Union
for help.
Some hospitals are already facing an "acute
overload" that has made it necessary to transfer COVID-19 patients abroad,
according to Gernot Marx, head of the German Interdisciplinary Association for
Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Germany last week announced tougher restrictions, including
requiring people to prove that they are vaccinated, have recovered from
COVID-19 or have recently tested negative for the virus before they can travel
on public transport or enter workplaces.
Several of the worst-hit areas have gone further, cancelling
large events like Christmas markets and barring the unvaccinated from bars,
gyms and leisure facilities.
The spike has ignited a fierce debate about whether to
follow Austria's example and make vaccination mandatory for all citizens.
Incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz has voiced support for
compulsory vaccinations for health staff, and said that his government would
"do everything necessary to bring our country safely through this
time".
"The situation is serious," said Scholz's Social
Democrats after announcing a coalition agreement with the Greens and the FDP
liberals on Wednesday.
Earlier this week, outgoing Chancellor Merkel, who is
retiring from politics after four terms, summoned the new centre-left-led
alliance's top brass for pandemic talks.
But his critics accused him of lacking the urgency needed to
tackle the national catastrophe.
"It sounded like he wanted to be the leader of the
Hamburg health authorities," snapped Spiegel online.
Germany's COVID-19 crisis has in part been blamed on its
relatively low vaccination rate of about 69 per cent, compared to other Western
European countries such as France, where it is 75 per cent.
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