Germany’s COVID-19 infection rate has hit its highest level since the start of the pandemic two years ago.
The seven-day incidence rate rose to 201.1 on Monday, higher than a previous record of 197.6 in December last year.
Public health figures said 15,513 new COVID-19 cases were reported over the past 24 hours – down from a record 37,120 on Friday. But figures are typically lower after the weekend.
Doctors have warned they will need to postpone scheduled operations in coming weeks to cope.
Health Minister Jens Spahn has earlier warned that a massive “pandemic of the unvaccinated” was gathering pace.
Will Germany Impose Another Lockdown?
This rise comes after the 16 German states’ leaders discussed how to continue upon ending the emergency state on November 25.
This means the restrictions will expire automatically unless a parliament’s vote will impose them.
Germany’s Health Minister, Jens Spahn, said that it should be possible to remove the emergency state while still keeping some rules.
The rules include wearing masks, proof of vaccination or recovery, or a negative test result.
“We can obviously deal with higher incidences, higher numbers of infections better, much better without overburdening the health system,”
That’s because so many people took the vaccine, Spahn told Deutschlandfunk radio.
“This path from a state of emergency to a state of special caution to a state of normality,” he added.
However, he warned that parts of Germany with low vaccine rates are already having pressure in hospitals.
Nearly 66% of German residents took full vaccination, compared to 63.3% across the EU.
The dire projection came as the UK became the first country to approve an anti-COVID-19 pill and the US announced strict new rules for businesses to strongarm employees into getting vaccines, as countries scramble to avoid another deadly winter wave of the virus.