Omicron COVID-19 cases rising in Germany

By Ayhan Simsek

BERLIN (AA) - Germany on Tuesday reported 3,218 new cases of omicron coronavirus variant over the past 24 hours, taking the total number of identified cases in the country to 10,443.

The Robert Koch Institute, the country's disease control agency, registered four omicron-related fatalities, and confirmed that so far 124 people with omicron were admitted to hospitals.

Health officials have been warning that the number of omicron cases is doubling every two to three days, and it is capable of causing a massive fifth wave of coronavirus infections within a few weeks.

The German government is calling on citizens to strictly comply with anti-coronavirus measures and get their COVID-19 booster vaccine to protect themselves.

As of Monday, 30.4 million people (36.6 % of the population) has received a booster shot, according to the Health Ministry.

Authorities are planning to administer nearly 33 million booster shots in the next three weeks, to curb the spread of the infection.

Experts say booster shots are necessary against the omicron variant, as immunity from the initial doses starts wearing off over time. A third dose is providing a high level of protection against the variant, according to preliminary lab studies.