BERLIN (AA) - Daily coronavirus cases in Germany hit a new record of 66,884 on Wednesday, the highest single-day increase since the beginning of the pandemic.
Virus-related fatalities are also on the rise, with 335 further deaths over the last 24 hours, according to official data.
The Robert Koch Institute has confirmed 685,100 active cases, marking a new high in the current fourth wave of the pandemic.
The number of COVID-19 patients in hospitals and intensive care units (ICUs) have dramatically increased, forcing many hospitals to postpone non-critical operations.
Many hospitals in the worst-hit coronavirus hotspots in eastern and southern regions have run out of beds in ICUs, and started transferring new patients to other cities and states.
There were 3,987 seriously ill coronavirus patients in ICUs across the country on Tuesday, with 2,042 of them on ventilators, according to the DIVI association for emergency medicine.
German authorities introduced tougher measures this week, especially for the unvaccinated.
Starting Wednesday, many federal states are requiring passengers on public transport to be vaccinated, recovered, or tested negative.
According to the “3G rule” in the workplace, employees now have to present a proof of vaccination, recovery from the virus or a negative test before coming to work.
Several federal states, including Brandenburg, Saxony and Bavaria, cancelled Christmas markets and ordered bars and clubs to close in an effort to curb the spread of the virus.
In most of the states the “2G rule” applies, and only those who are vaccinated or recovered from COVID-19 are allowed to enter indoor dining or cultural venues.