Germany's Covid-19 cases hit daily record of more than 80,000

Berlin, Jan 13 (IANS) The number of daily Covid-19 cases in Germany hit a new record of 80,430, according to data released by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).

Seventy-two per cent of the country's population has been fully vaccinated as of Tuesday, according to official figures by the RKI and the Ministry of Health (BMG). At least 36.8 million people also received a booster vaccination.

However, 21 million people remain unvaccinated, Xinhua news agency reported.

To facilitate a larger number of booster shots as well as to increase the overall vaccination rate, Germany purchased 5 million doses of the BioNTech or Pfizer vaccine from Romania with the approval of the European Union (EU), according to the Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach.

"This is a significant improvement for booster vaccinations," Lauterbach said on Twitter on Wednesday. The additional vaccines would also go to 12- to 17-year-olds, which was particularly important to avoid school closures.

Germany recently tightened its Covid-19 restrictions again, making face masks mandatory in all schools. However, face-to-face learning would remain a top priority, the Standing Conference of the Ministers of Education and Cultural Affairs of the Laender (KMK) said when schools opened after the Christmas holidays.

"We need to pay even closer attention to the needs of children and young people. This means that we will not close schools until all other options have been exhausted," said Karin Prien, President of the KMK.