For the second day in a row, Germany has set a new record number of daily COVID cases, with more than 37.000 new infections reported to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) within 24 hours. The figures have triggered a debate about compulsory vaccination.

New daily record of COVID cases set in Germany

The fourth wave of coronavirus in Germany is gathering speed. In the 24 hours to Friday morning, health authorities reported 37.120 new COVID infections to the RKI, and a further 154 deaths. The new record daily number of cases comes just one day after the previous record was broken, with 33.949 infections reported within one day on Thursday, November 4. 

The incidence rate has now surpassed the peak of the third wave in the spring. Back on April 26, the seven-day incidence rate was 169,3 infections per 100.000 people. As of Friday morning, the incidence rate had risen to 169,9, the RKI reported. A day ago, it was 154,5, and a week ago it was 139,2. 

The peak incidence rate was set back at the end of 2020. On December 22, the country recorded 197,6 new infections per 100.000 residents within seven days. 

It’s not currently clear whether this new jump in the case rate will be sustained, or if it’s just a knock-on effect from the public holiday on November 1, which could have caused a delay in registering infections.

The number of coronavirus patients admitted to hospital per 100.000 inhabitants within seven days - currently seen as the most important benchmark for deciding whether new restrictions are needed - was given as 3,73 in the RKI’s report. However, there is normally a delay between infection spikes and increases in the hospitalisation rate. The previous high was reached around Christmas time, with 15,5 hospitalisations per 100.000 inhabitants. 

Debate sparked around compulsory vaccination

In its weekly report, the RKI raised its risk assessment for partially or unvaccinated people from “high” to “very high”. “For the fully vaccinated, the risk is assessed as moderate, but increasing due to the rising number of infections,” the report added. A week ago, the RKI assessed the risk for vaccinated people as only “moderate”. 

The new figures have given impetus to the ongoing debate around compulsory vaccination. Some are calling for vaccines to be made mandatory for people working in certain professions - for instance in healthcare. The government currently opposes such a position. 

On Friday, the president of the German District Association, Reinhard Sager, said that the group now “[considers] compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups, especially in nursing, to be inevitable.” However, some pushback came from the Federal Association of Private Providers of Social Services, with president Bernd Meurer stating that there is no legal basis for mandatory vaccination. Nonetheless, the association is encouraging all of its staff to get vaccinated. 

A new survey by public broadcaster ARD found that - for the first time ever - a majority of people in Germany now support mandatory vaccinations for all people over the age of 18, an 11-point rise since August 2021. 74 percent are in favour of mandatory jabs for people in certain professions, particularly those working in healthcare and other care work.