Angela Merkel
German Chancellor Angela Merkel has warned citizens of the serious danger of the mutated coronavirus. She stated this following the results of negotiations with the heads of the regions of Germany, which lasted almost eight hours, Interfax reports.
A new strain of the virus found in Germany threatens the country, she said. “Until now, the collected epidemiological data said that this virus is much more infectious,” the Chancellor said.
Earlier, Merkel extended the tough restrictions to combat the spread of coronavirus until February 14. She noted that the reduction in the number of infected is “cause for hope”, however, due to the new strain of COVID-19, restrictions cannot yet be relaxed.
On January 18, a previously unknown mutation of the coronavirus was discovered in Bavaria, due to which an outbreak occurred at a local hospital. 52 patients and 21 employees of the clinic were infected with a new variation of the virus.
According to the latest data, more than 2 million cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded in Germany, 1.7 million people have recovered, and another 48.4 thousand have died.
