COVID-19 deaths in Germany reached the highest level in nine months on Wednesday with 446 deaths.
Germany’s infectious disease agency said the country saw 67,186 new cases along with the 446 new deaths from the virus, Reuters reported.
That is the highest recorded daily death toll in Germany since Feb. 18, and lawmakers are grappling with how to slow the spread of the new wave of infections.
The latest surge in cases comes as Germany is dealing with a shortage of nurses and, consequently, fewer hospital beds.
Lawmakers are looking to downsize crowd sizes again and require proof of vaccination for citizens to enter restaurants and other venues.
Gernot Marx, president of the DIVI association for intensive care medicine, said the country could have 6,000 people in intensive care beds by Christmas according to Reuters.
The spike in coronavirus cases also comes as the omicron variant has the world in panic, with multiple countries suspending travel from southern African countries to combat the new strain.
Germany has four confirmed cases of the omicron variant. All the cases are from people who recently traveled to South Africa or families of those who traveled from South Africa, Reuters noted.