Germany's Death Toll From Covid-19 Passes 100,000 As Virus Surges
More than 100,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Germany since the start of the pandemic, a public health agency announced Thursday.
Photo: TYT
More than 100,000 people have died of Covid-19 in Germany since the start of the pandemic, a public health agency announced Thursday.
Europe's largest economy is battling a fresh surge in coronavirus cases, and recorded 351 fatalities in the past 24 hours, bringing the total death toll to 100,119, according to figures from the Robert Koch Institute.
As infections reach a record high and intensive care units fill up, the health crisis is posing an immediate challenge to the new coalition government set to take over from Angela Merkel's cabinet.
Some hospitals are already facing an "acute overload" that has made it necessary to transfer Covid patients abroad, said Gernot Marx, head of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine.
Germany last week announced tougher Covid curbs, including requiring people to prove they are vaccinated, cured or have recently tested negative for the virus before they can travel on public transport or go into the workplace.
Several of the worst-hit areas have gone further and ordered new shutdowns.
The spike has ignited a fierce debate in Germany about whether to follow Austria's example and make vaccination mandatory for all citizens.
Incoming chancellor Olaf Scholz has voiced support for mandatory jabs and said his new government will invest one billion euros in bonuses for healthcare workers on the frontlines of the pandemic.
Germany's fourth virus wave has in part been blamed on its relatively low vaccination rate of about 69 percent, compared to other European countries such as France, where it is 75 percent.
-
What do scientists hope to learn from total solar eclipse in US?
2024-03-28 -
Song lyrics are getting simpler, more repetitive: study
2024-03-28 -
German court rules against Mercedes in emissions case
2024-03-28 -
UK greenhouse gas emissions fell 5.4 percent in 2023: data
2024-03-28 -
French film grooming claims puts focus on child coaches
2024-03-28 -
George Washington University faces $10mn disinformation lawsuit
2024-03-28 -
Climate change is messing with how we measure time: study
2024-03-28 -
Struggling for a can of food: starving Gazans scramble for aid drops
2024-03-26 -
Pandemic accord talks at loggerheads as time ticks away
2024-03-26 -
Racism reducing my desire to play football: Brazil's Vinicius
2024-03-25