Germany COVID-19 cases set new 24-hour record

BERLIN (AA) - Germany reported 6,638 new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest one-day toll since the pandemic began.

According to the figures released by the Robert Koch Institute, new coronavirus cases jumped by more than 1,500 over the last 24 hours, up from 5,132 on Wednesday.

As many as 33 new fatalities raised the death toll to 9,710.

Despite the rapid increase in new cases, those hospitalized due to COVID-19 and those admitted to intensive care units remained relatively stable.

Most of those infected have reportedly had mild to moderate symptoms that do not require special treatment.

As of Wednesday, 602 COVID-19 patients were receiving treatment in intensive care units, and 323 were on ventilators.

More than 8,500 intensive care beds remained free in Germany, according to the institute.

The surge in new cases was partly attributed to widespread testing, which makes it possible to identify mild cases and asymptomatic infections.

The country has significantly increased its testing capacity recently and is now conducting almost 1.2 million tests weekly.