Germany hits 5,000 new cases, Merkel eyes action

BERLIN — The number of newly reported coronavirus cases in Germany has passed 5,000 for the first time since mid-April.
The country’s disease control agency, the Robert Koch Institute, said Wednesday that a further 5,132 infections and 43 deaths from COVID-19 were recorded over the past day.
Chancellor Angela Merkel is meeting the governors of Germany’s 16 states Wednesday to discuss which measures to take in response to the growing case load.
Officials are particularly concerned that COVID-19 infections might increase among older people, who are more likely to suffer serious illnesses.
So far, some 620 people in Germany are receiving intensive care treatment for COVID-19.
Since the start of the pandemic, Germany has recorded a total of 334,585 coronavirus infections, of which almost 282,000 are considered to have recovered. There have been 9,677 deaths in the country from COVID-19.
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