Germany reports record high of nearly 300,000 new COVID-19 cases

Germany reported nearly 300,000 new COVID-19 cases on Friday, its highest-ever daily rise since the pandemic started.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the country's disease control agency, confirmed 297,845 new COVID-19 cases and 226 related fatalities in the past 24 hours.

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 a spike in cases.

The share of the subtype in all COVID-19 cases increased from 48% to 62% in a week, according to the RKI's weekly report released on Thursday.

"It can be assumed that the increased transmissibility of the BA.2 sub-variant, as well as the lifting of the contact restrictions and behavior changes, have contributed to the significant increase in the COVID-19 cases," experts said in their report.

The institute called on citizens to continue following guidelines, such as hygiene rules, wearing masks, and physically distancing where possible, to avoid getting infected.

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

On Thursday, 1,913 coronavirus patients were admitted to hospitals, while nearly 2,300 patients with COVID-19 were receiving treatment in intensive care units, where almost 2,900 beds were free.

According to experts, Germany's high vaccination coverage among the elderly has been effective in preventing COVID-related hospitalization 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.

But still, more than 2 million people in this age group are unvaccinated and a major concern for health authorities.

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 18.3 million infections and 126,646 deaths since the start of the pandemic two years ago.