Germany reported more than 50,000 new COVID-19 cases Thursday, prompting a dire warning from health officials for residents to get vaccinated.
Per CNBC, Germany was once seen as a poster child for fighting the coronavirus. But a recent surge has led the country to see 50,000 cases in one day.
- “Germany is in the midst of what has been described as a fourth wave of Covid, as the delta variant spreads as the weather gets colder,” according to CNBC.
Olaf Scholz, Germany’s potental new chancellor, called for more citizens to get the vaccine in response to the recent surge, Reuters reports.
- Similarly, the parliament debated new COVID-19 rules that could be used to fight another wave of coronavirus.
Leading German virologist Christian Drosten said Thursday that Germany could see another 100,000 more deaths from the coronavirus if the country doesn’t work to stop the new surge of cases.
- Drosten told the NDR podcast that 100,000 more death was “conservative estimate” and that “we have a real emergency situation at the moment.”
Berlin has banned unvaccinated people from entertainment venues as a response, according to CNN. Outdoor events with more than 2,000 attendees won’t allow unvaccinated adults, either.
- “The move comes amid an escalation in rhetoric against unvaccinated people from national ministers in Germany, where the inoculation rollout has fallen behind several European neighbors to the west,” per CNN.