Germany reports over 7,000 new omicron cases

BERLIN (AA) - Germany reported 7,027 new cases of omicron on Wednesday, taking the total number of infections with the new coronavirus variant to 42,556.

The Robert Koch Institute, the country's disease control agency, registered 12 omicron-related fatalities so far, and confirmed that 451 people infected with omicron were admitted to hospitals.

New cases with the highly infectious omicron variant increased by 20% in a single day, according to official data.

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the government is considering to limit social contacts and step up vaccination efforts, in order to curb a new wave of COVID-19 driven by the omicron variant.

The central government and federal states will hold a meeting on Friday to decide on new coronavirus measures, quarantine rules and emergency plans in response to the expected omicron wave.