BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 21st January, 2021) German Chancellor Angela Merkel warned on Thursday that the coronavirus pandemic was in a difficult phase because of the high daily deaths and the looming threat of a third wave associated with virus mutations.
"It is a very difficult phase of the pandemic... because the picture is fractured. On the one hand, the daily infections are going down at last, and we are treating fewer patients in intensive care than before and during the Christmas period," she told the news conference.
On the other hand, Germany is dealing with a "terrifyingly high" death rate, Merkel said. More than a thousand people died of the virus nationwide in the past 24-hour period.
Concern is mounting over virus mutations, which can undermine the progress made so far, she added. The more transmissible UK strain has been driving infections upwards in the United Kingdom and Ireland.
"This virus mutation has been confirmed here but it is not a dominant variant, at least for now. Still, we must take the treat coming from it very seriously," the chancellor said.
"We must slow down the spread of this mutation. This means that we must not wait until this threat becomes more palpable and is reflected in daily infection rates because it will then be too late to stop the third wave of the pandemic," she warned.
Germany has confirmed more than 2 million virus cases since the start of the outbreak, with almost 50,000 deaths. The government extended the nationwide lockdown until February 14 and promised to speed up the vaccine rollout.
