THE AFRICAN COURIER. Reporting Africa and its Diaspora! The African Courier is an international magazine published in Germany to report on Africa and the Diaspora African experience. The first issue of the bimonthly magazine appeared on the newsstands on 15 February 1998. The African Courier is a communication forum for European-African political, economic and cultural exchanges, and a voice for Africa in Europe.
The number of deaths caused by the new coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) infection in Germany has been rising for weeks, exceeding the 30,000 mark after the Christmas holidays.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Germany’s centre for disease control and prevention, announced on Monday morning that altogether 30,126 persons had died in Germany of COVID-19, the disease caused by the coronavirus infection, since the outbreak of the pandemic in March.
The latest statistics of RKI show that around 96 percent of the dead were 60 years or older.
- Out of the more than 30,000 persons who have died of COVID-19, around 20,000 were over 80 years old.
- Slightly more than 1,000 persons were between 35 and 59 years old.
- Less than 60 of the deceased persons were younger than 35.
Elderly people belong to the high corona risk groups; they suffer more often a severe course of infection and have to be treated in intensive care units.
According to official figures, 12,040 of the 47,084 corona patients treated in intensive care units to date have died (as of 27 December 2020). That is about 26 per cent of intensive care COVID-19 patients.
The total number of recorded coronavirus infections in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic rose to 1,651,834 on Monday, the RKI has reported.
Germany has been under a shutdown since 16 December, with the restriction measures limited until 10 January. On 5 January, the federal and state governments are expected to review the situation in the country.
Vivian Asamoah
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