Germany has announced record coronavirus fatalities and infections as its total death toll passed 100,000.
Another 351 people have died from coronavirus, bringing the total since the start of the pandemic to 100,119, data from the Robert Koch Institute for infectious diseases showed.
The number of new daily cases hit a new record of 75,961.
The surge in infections poses a real challenge for the new-elected government.
Many European countries have seen an increase in cases recently driven by the Delta variant of the virus, including Russia, Ukraine, Germany, and Poland.
Earlier this month, German MPs voted in favour of a new set of measures to fight the pandemic.
The measures include access to public transport or the workplace only for people who received full vaccination.
Already in many regions, unvaccinated people can’t use indoor leisure facilities, such as cafes, bars, gyms or hairdressers. The aim is to encourage even more people to get the vaccine.
At the moment, just under 70% of the population is fully vaccinated – below the EU average.
But the measures can’t yet come into force. The regional governments in Germany’s upper house should approve them. And some conservative politicians have threatened to block the bill.
