Germany’s daily COVID cases highest in months

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Thursday recorded more than 12,000 daily coronavirus cases for the first time since May, amid a surge in infections among teens and young adults.

The Robert Koch Institute reported 12,626 new coronavirus cases in the last 24 hours, up from 8,400 registered last Thursday.

The number of active cases climbed to 95,300, the highest figure in the current fourth wave of the pandemic, driven by the highly contagious Delta variant.

New cases have particularly risen among teenagers and young adults, according to the institute’s weekly report.

Despite a surge in new infections, numbers of hospitalizations, severe illnesses, and deaths remained relatively low, compared to the previous waves.

Health authorities confirmed 21 fatalities and 415 new coronavirus patients admitted to hospitals on Wednesday.

According to experts, Germany’s high vaccination coverage among the elderly has been effective in preventing severe illnesses and deaths from the virus.

Nearly 84% of people aged 60 and older are fully vaccinated, according to the latest figures released on Thursday.