Germany records highest daily COVID-19 cases since May

BERLIN (AA) – Germany on Wednesday reported more than 17,000 coronavirus cases for the first time since May, raising concerns about a winter surge in COVID-19 cases.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) confirmed 17,015 more coronavirus cases in the past 24 hours, up from 6,771 registered on Tuesday.

The 7-day average of new cases has increased by 22% compared to last week.

Authorities confirmed 92 more fatalities and 711 new cases of hospitalization.

The institute has warned that new infections and hospitalizations are likely to increase in the coming weeks if the vaccination rate does not improve in the country.

“One can expect a renewed increase in the number of cases in autumn and winter as a large number of people are still unvaccinated,” experts said in their report.

So far, 57.3 million people in Germany, or 68.9% of the population, have received at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine, while 54.8 million, or 65.9%, have been fully vaccinated.

The government’s goal had been to fully vaccinate at least 70% of the population by the end of summer.