The number of fatalities from Covid-19 in Germany has passed 50,000, after a further 1,013 deaths were recorded in the 24 hours up to Thursday morning.
The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Europe’s largest economy is 50,010, according to data from Johns Hopkins University, with pandemic-related fatalities having doubled in the past month.
It comes as chancellor Angela Merkel’s government faces an urgent need to slow the spread of the disease and guard against new mutations. A total of 29,003 new cases of Covid-19 were confirmed in Germany in the past 24 hours, bringing the country’s total to more than 2.1 million.
Ms Merkel will address Germany’s fight against the disease at a news conference later on Thursday, just two days after struggling to reach common ground with state leaders. The chancellor pushed for tougher curbs, but some state leaders resisted, wary of voter dissatisfaction ahead of regional and national elections in the coming months.
While infections have declined in recent days and the contagion rate is at the lowest level since the beginning of November, it remains more than double the government’s target. Authorities are concerned that fast-spreading strains could spark a surge like in Ireland and the UK.
Border control
Ms Merkel this week raised the prospect of reintroducing controls on Germany’s borders unless European neighbours synchronise measures to contain mutations.
The chancellor’s chief of staff, Helge Braun, was cautiously optimistic in a television interview on Thursday. There is “a very big chance” that Germany’s seven-day incidence rate per 100,000 people could fall below a government target of 50 in the next three to four weeks, from 119 now, as long as faster-spreading variants don’t take hold, Mr Braun told ARD, Germany’s group of regional public-service broadcasters.
“That would then allow us to think about easing [virus restrictions],” he added. “Although everyone is tired of the coronavirus, we have to remain very resolute in coming weeks and then we have a fantastic chance that things will improve step by step and we will beat the virus.”
Lockdown measures – including closing non-essential stores and restricting movement in hard-hit areas – were extended on Tuesday until February 14th. Authorities also agreed to make medical face masks obligatory in stores and on public transport, while companies will be required to allow employees to work from home where possible.
Steep rise
Meanwhile, Portugal is preparing to shut all kindergartens, schools and universities from Friday to tackle a steep rise in coronavirus cases, Lusa news agency reported on Thursday.
The government has blamed the increase in cases on the more contagious variant of the coronavirus first detected in Britain, which is spreading rapidly across Portugal, but health experts also point to a lack of preparation and say there are not enough medical staff.
Daily coronavirus cases in Portugal rose by 40 per cent on Wednesday from the day before to a record 14,647, with doctors warning the health system is on the verge of collapse. About 20 per cent of new Covid-19 cases being reported are of the more transmissible variant and that number could reach 60 per cent as early as next week, minister for health Marta Temido told broadcaster RTP on Wednesday.
In the UK, 38,992 new cases of Covid-19 have been recorded in the past 24 hours and 1,826 further deaths, bringing the totals to more than 3.5 million cases and 93,469 deaths.
Spain recorded 41,576 new cases and 464 more deaths in the past 24 hours, while Italy confirmed 524 further deaths and 13,568 new cases, according to data from Johns Hopkins University. – Bloomberg, Reuters