Saudi Press

Saudi Arabia and the world
Friday, Aug 22, 2025

Germany records 50,000 COVID-19 cases in ‘dramatic’ virus surge

Germany records 50,000 COVID-19 cases in ‘dramatic’ virus surge

The Chancellor-in-waiting spoke as Germany recorded more than 50,000 coronavirus cases in one day for the first time since the pandemic began.
Germany should take many more measures to tackle the coronavirus pandemic and get through the winter, Chancellor-in-waiting Olaf Scholz told parliament on Thursday.

His intervention came as the country has recorded more than 50,000 coronavirus cases in one day for the first time since the pandemic began.

"We must take very many measures necessary to get through this winter. We must shelter our country from the winter," the current Vice-Chancellor said, as his Social Democratic Party (SPD) put forward new proposals along with its future coalition partners the Liberals and the Greens.

In particular, prospective new provisions include tightening restrictions on unvaccinated people.

According to the Robert Koch Institute of Health Surveillance, there were 50,196 additional COVID-19 cases in the last 24 hours, with 235 deaths.

Germany is among a number of European countries facing a new surge in cases and has recorded record numbers of infections over recent days.

The outgoing chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday called the resurgence of infections in the country "dramatic", particularly noticeable since October.

"The pandemic is once again spreading dramatically," her spokesman said, calling on the regional health authorities to take further measures to contain the situation.

The pressure on hospital wards is also increasing.

Several hospitals have said in recent days that they are again working at their limits and have ICUs so full of COVID-19 patients that they cannot admit new patients.

"We have a real emergency situation right now," Christian Drosten, the head of virology at Berlin’s Charite Hospital, said earlier this week.

The outbreak is attributed in part to the relatively low vaccination rate of the population in Germany, at just over 67 per cent.

Several particularly affected states, such as Saxony, Bavaria, and most recently Berlin, have introduced new restrictions aimed at unvaccinated people.

As of Monday, Berlin will ban unvaccinated people from restaurants without terraces, bars, gyms and hairdressers.

A negative test will no longer allow access to these public places if users are not vaccinated or cannot prove that they have recovered from the disease.

In total, almost 4.9 million people have been infected in Germany since the start of the pandemic while 97,198 have lost their lives.

Neighbouring, Netherlands also reported a new record on Thursday with 16,364 new infections detected over the previous 24 hours, the RIVM public health agency said. The previous record was set on December 20, 2020, when just under 13,000 cases had been recorded in 24 hours.

The Netherlands has reported over 2.2 million infections since the start of the global health crisis and deplored the death of 18,637 people.

About 64.7% of the country's 17.4 million inhabitants are fully vaccinated.
Newsletter

Related Articles

Saudi Press
0:00
0:00
Close
Dogfights in the Skies: Airbus on Track to Overtake Boeing and Claim Aviation Supremacy
Tim Cook Promises an AI Revolution at Apple: "One of the Most Significant Technologies of Our Generation"
Are AI Data Centres the Infrastructure of the Future or the Next Crisis?
Miles Worth Billions: How Airlines Generate Huge Profits
Zelenskyy Returns to White House Flanked by European Allies as Trump Pressures Land-Swap Deal with Putin
Beijing is moving into gold and other assets, diversifying away from the dollar
Cristiano Ronaldo Makes Surprise Stop at New Hong Kong Museum
Zelenskyy to Visit Washington after Trump–Putin Summit Yields No Agreement
High-Stakes Trump-Putin Summit on Ukraine Underway in Alaska
Iranian Protection Offers Chinese Vehicle Shipments a Cost Advantage over Japanese and Korean Makers
Saudi Arabia accelerates renewables to curb domestic oil use
Cristiano Ronaldo and Georgina Rodríguez announce engagement
Asia-Pacific dominates world’s busiest flight routes, with South Korea’s Jeju–Seoul corridor leading global rankings
Private Welsh island with 19th-century fort listed for sale at over £3 million
Sam Altman challenges Elon Musk with plans for Neuralink rival
Australia to Recognize the State of Palestine at UN Assembly
The Collapse of the Programmer Dream: AI Experts Now the Real High-Earners
Armenia and Azerbaijan to Sign US-Brokered Framework Agreement for Nakhchivan Corridor
British Labour Government Utilizes Counter-Terrorism Tools for Social Media Monitoring Against Legitimate Critics
WhatsApp Deletes 6.8 Million Scam Accounts Amid Rising Global Fraud
Nine people have been hospitalized and dozens of salmonella cases have been reported after an outbreak of infections linked to certain brands of pistachios and pistachio-containing products, according to the Public Health Agency of Canada
Texas Residents Face Water Restrictions While AI Data Centers Consume Millions of Gallons
Tariffs, AI, and the Shifting U.S. Macro Landscape: Navigating a New Economic Regime
India Rejects U.S. Tariff Threat, Defends Russian Oil Purchases
United States Establishes Strategic Bitcoin Reserve and Digital Asset Stockpile
Thousands of Private ChatGPT Conversations Accidentally Indexed by Google
China Tightens Mineral Controls, Curtailing Critical Inputs for Western Defence Contractors
OpenAI’s Bold Bet: Teaching AI to Think, Not Just Chat
BP’s Largest Oil and Gas Find in 25 Years Uncovered Offshore Brazil
JPMorgan and Coinbase Unveil Partnership to Let Chase Cardholders Buy Crypto Directly
British Tourist Dies Following Hair Transplant in Turkey, Police Investigate
WhatsApp Users Targeted in New Scam Involving Account Takeovers
Trump Deploys Nuclear Submarines After Threats from Former Russian President Medvedev
Germany’s Economic Breakdown and the Return of Militarization: From Industrial Collapse to a New Offensive Strategy
IMF Upgrades Global Growth Forecast as Weaker Dollar Supports Outlook
Politics is a good business: Barack Obama’s Reported Net Worth Growth, 1990–2025
"Crazy Thing": OpenAI's Sam Altman Warns Of AI Voice Fraud Crisis In Banking
Japanese Prime Minister Vows to Stay After Coalition Loses Upper House Majority
President Trump Diagnosed with Chronic Venous Insufficiency After Leg Swelling
Man Dies After Being Pulled Into MRI Machine Due to Metal Chain in New York Clinic
FIFA Pressured to Rethink World Cup Calendar Due to Climate Change
"Can You Hit Moscow?" Trump Asked Zelensky To Make Putin "Feel The Pain"
Nvidia Becomes World’s First Four‑Trillion‑Dollar Company Amid AI Boom
Iranian President Reportedly Injured During Israeli Strike on Secret Facility
Kurdistan Workers Party Takes Symbolic Step Towards Peace in Northern Iraq
BRICS Expands Membership with Indonesia and Ten New Partner Countries
Elon Musk Founds a Party Following a Poll on X: "You Wanted It – You Got It!"
AI Raises Alarms Over Long-Term Job Security
Saudi Arabia Maintains Ties with Iran Despite Israel Conflict
Russia Formally Recognizes Taliban Government in Afghanistan
×