BERLIN

Germany’s daily coronavirus cases rose to a near-record high on Wednesday as authorities warned that a new subtype of the omicron strain is spreading quickly across the country.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country’s disease control agency, confirmed 262,593 new COVID-19 cases in the past 24 hours, and 269 coronavirus-related fatalities.

The number of new cases was only slightly less than last Thursday’s number of 262,752 infections, the highest figure so far.

The relaxation of anti-coronavirus measures last month and the spread of the highly contagious omicron sub-variant BA.2 were the main factors driving the spike in cases.

The new subtype, which is more transmissible than the initial omicron strain BA.1, now accounts more than 48% of sequenced coronavirus cases in the country, according to the RKI.

Despite the surge in infections, the majority of omicron cases have been mild so far, not requiring hospitalization.

On Tuesday, 2,070 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospitals, while nearly 2,300 patients with COVID-19 were receiving treatment in intensive care units (ICUs). More than 2,950 ICU beds were free.

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

Nearly 89% of people aged 60 and above are fully vaccinated, and 78% of them have also received a booster dose, according to the latest figures.

Germany is among the countries hardest hit by the coronavirus pandemic in Western Europe, with one of the highest caseloads in the region, just behind France and the UK.

The country of 83 million has reported nearly 17.7 million infections and 126,142 deaths since the start of the pandemic two years ago.