German hospitals warn of overload amid jump in coronavirus infections

The German Hospital Association has warned of a growing workload in intensive care units in view of a recent jump in coronavirus infection figures, reported dpa.

"We are in a critical pandemic situation," Gerald Gass, chairman of the board, told the Redaktionsnetzwerk Deutschland news group.

He said the number of patients hospitalized with a Covid-19 infection had risen significantly within a week.

There were almost 40 per cent more patients in normal wards than a week ago. In the intensive care units, there were 15 per cent more.

"If this development continues, we will have 3,000 patients in intensive care again in just two weeks," warned Gass.

At the peak of the pandemic in January 2021, more than 5,700 Covid patients were receiving intensive care.

Germany's seven-day incidence of infection has again increased significantly.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control reported the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past week at 130.2 on Thursday morning.

The day before, this key barometer was at 118.0, and a week ago it was 85.6.

The state health authorities in Germany reported 28,037 new coronavirus infections to the RKI within the past day. A week ago, the figure for new infections was 16,077.

According to the new data, 126 deaths were recorded in Germany within 24 hours. A week ago, there were 67 deaths.