Berlin, Oct. 22, GNA (dpa/GNA) – Germany has again surpassed its record of daily coronavirus infections, with the country’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control reporting 11,287 new cases on Thursday.
The previous record for cases recorded in a 24-hour period since the pandemic began was 7,830 on Saturday.
Germany is currently reporting more daily coronavirus cases than at the start of the pandemic in March, although testing has been ramped up significantly since then. There were likely many more undetected cases earlier in the year before testing capacity increased.
The latest surge brings the country’s total caseload so far to 392,049, according to the RKI, which is scheduled to give a briefing on the situation later Thursday.
So far, 9,905 people have died of the Covid-19 disease in Germany, an increase of 30 compared to Wednesday’s toll.
Rising infection rates have led to the reintroduction of restrictions in a number of cities and districts across the country, including the capital Berlin. In the southern state of Bavarian, the district of Berchtesgadener Land on the border with Austria has gone into lockdown.
On Wednesday, German Health Minister, Jens Spahn tested positive for the coronavirus and went into self-isolation.
According to the Bild daily, all government ministers who attended a Cabinet meeting with him earlier in the day are to undergo testing.
A government spokesman said it would not be necessary for ministers to automatically go into quarantine because hygiene and distancing measures were followed at the meeting.
GNA