German disease control head warns of 'terrible Christmas'

BERLIN — The caput of Germany’s illness power bureau has warned that the state faces a “really unspeakable Christmas” unless steps are taken to antagonistic the crisp emergence successful coronavirus infections.

German lawmakers are debating measures Thursday that would regenerate the nationwide epidemic rules, which volition expire astatine the extremity of the month.

The Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s illness power agency, said Thursday that 65,371 recently confirmed cases had been reported successful a azygous day, continuing the upward inclination that experts person been informing astir for weeks.

“We are presently heading toward a superior emergency,” the agency’s director, Lothar Wieler, said. “We are going to person a truly unspeakable Christmas if we don’t instrumentality countermeasures now.”

Wieler said Germany needs to summation its vaccination rates to importantly supra 75%, from 67.7% astatine present. Some regions successful Germany person vaccination rates arsenic debased arsenic 57.6%.

He besides called for the closure of clubs and bars, an extremity to large-scale events and entree to galore parts of nationalist beingness to beryllium constricted to those with vaccine oregon betterment certificates.

Wieler warned that hospitals crossed Germany are struggling to find beds for COVID-19 patients and those with different illnesses.