Alert to increase of covid-19 in Europe 1:00
Berlin (CNN) -
Germany reported its highest increase in covid-19 infections in a single day and Chancellor Angela Merkel said the "dramatic" situation was the result of the fourth wave "that hit the country with full force. ".
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany's center for disease control, reported 65,371 new cases in the past 24 hours.
This is an increase of 12,545 new infections compared to the previous 24-hour period.
In the Covid-19 ward, an area of the Operative Intensive Care Unit of the Leipzig University Hospital, doctors and nurses treat patients in Leipzig, Germany.
But these figures are likely not exact and the true scale of infections could be "double or triple," RKI chief Lothar Wieler said.
This during an online conversation with the Prime Minister of the state of Saxony, Michael Kretschmer, on Wednesday evening.
The country reported 264 COVID-19-related deaths from Wednesday to Thursday, bringing the total number of deaths since the pandemic began to 98,000 people in Germany, according to RKI data.
Europe tightens the unvaccinated as COVID-19 cases rise
'Dramatic situation' in Germany
Germany's seven-day incidence rate also reached record levels of 336.9 cases per 100,000 people, up from 249.1 cases reported a week ago, RKI reported.
Europe, once again the epicenter of the pandemic 1:07
Germany has one of the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, with just over 67% of the population fully vaccinated.
About 33% have no protection against the virus, according to the RKI.
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This is one of the reasons infections have soared to record levels, experts say.
"The current pandemic situation in Germany is dramatic, I can't say it any other way," outgoing Chancellor Merkel told mayors across the country on Wednesday.
Hospitalizations and deaths remain much lower than previous peaks, but there is growing concern about gaps in the country's vaccination coverage as it moves into the winter months.
"It would be a disaster to act only when the intensive care units are full, because then it would be too late," he added.
People expect to be vaccinated at a vaccination center in Berlin on November 3.
'Confinement for the unvaccinated'
The situation means that Germany is on its way to becoming the next country to impose stricter rules on those who have not been fully vaccinated.
Three parties that make up the country's potential new coalition government will debate a draft law on Thursday to enforce stricter rules.
The proposed measures would require Germans to provide proof of vaccination or a negative test to ride a bus or board a train.
It is an expansion of the country's "3G" system that already requires such tests to enter certain places and configurations.
In addition, free covid-19 testing and permission to work from home would be reintroduced whenever possible.
Green Party co-leader Robert Habeck told public broadcaster ARD on Sunday that the rules in effect amount to "lockdown for the unvaccinated."
Merkel will also discuss the implementation of stricter covid-19 restrictions with the leaders of the 16 federal states.
Berlin has already imposed restrictions on unvaccinated people, where as of Monday proof of complete vaccination or recovery from covid-19 in the last 6 months is required to enter bars, restaurants, cinemas and other entertainment venues.
European establishes stricter measures for non-vaccinated 2:02
But the current wave of infections is mainly affecting the southern and eastern parts of the nation, where vaccination is slower.
Ireland, which has one of the highest vaccination rates in Europe, imposes restrictions due to increasing cases of covid-19
Delta variant
Despite the wide availability of vaccines this winter compared to the previous one, the fourth European wave driven by the delta variant made it the only region to see an increase in deaths related to covid-19 last week, it said on Tuesday. World Health Organization.
If the measures proposed by the coalition materialize, Germany would move closer to its southern neighbor, Austria, where a lockdown specifically targeting unvaccinated people went into effect on Monday.
It prohibits unvaccinated people, more than a third of the country's population, from leaving their homes, except for a few specific reasons.
Austria, where vaccination is progressing more slowly than in Germany, is experiencing an intense wave of infections.
By contrast, Spain and Portugal have avoided the brunt of the winter wave after posting the highest vaccination rates in Europe.
France, which has almost 75% of its total population vaccinated, is withstanding the new spike in infection better than its neighbors.
Almost five million French people have received the booster vaccine, French government spokesman Gabriel Attal said in an interview with LCI news outlet on Thursday.
"This is a lot. It puts us above most of our European neighbors, but it is still very little," Attal said.
"We must continue."
CNN's Rob Picheta, Martin Goillandeau, Xiaofei Xu, and Meredith Ruleman contributed to this article.
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