Germany sets daily record with 23,648 new virus cases

BERLIN

Germany registered more than 23,000 new coronavirus cases on Friday, marking the highest single-day count since the start of the outbreak.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) confirmed 23,648 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, taking the country’s caseload to 879,564.

Local health authorities reported 260 more fatalities due to the virus, bringing the country’s official toll to 13,630.

The RKI warned in its latest report that the number of COVID-19 cases among older people was on the rise again.

“As they more often have a severe course due to COVID-19, the number of serious cases and deaths is also increasing,” the institute said.

About 86% of coronavirus-related deaths in Germany were among people aged 70 years or older.

The sharp increase in new infections has already started to overwhelm hospitals, according to the DIVI association for emergency medicine.

As of Thursday, 3,588 coronavirus patients were receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICUs), up from 2,653 two weeks ago. More than half of them were on mechanical ventilators.

Germany has the fifth-highest tally of coronavirus infections in Europe, behind France, Spain, the UK, and Italy.