OREANDA-NEWS. German Chancellor Angela Merkel called the situation with the spread of coronavirus in Germany critical, the fourth wave hit the country with "full power."

Germany has had the highest incidence of COVID-19 in a pandemic in recent weeks. So, over the past day, more than 50 thousand cases of infection have been identified. At the same time, the proportion of deaths remains below the previous peaks (over a thousand per day), but still reached the highest level in recent months (265 over the last day).

“We must state that the pandemic is not over. On the contrary, the current situation is critical, I cannot call it any other way. The fourth wave hit our country with all its might,” she said at the annual meeting of the Union of German Cities.

She called the daily COVID-19 deaths "appalling". Therefore, according to her, her meeting with the heads of the FRG regions, which will take place tomorrow, is of particular importance. Merkel called this meeting "belated."

The Chancellor also identified three, in her opinion, important elements in the fight against the spread of coronavirus at the present time. She first named the rate of hospitalization of people with coronavirus, since overcrowding in hospitals in one region "immediately" affects the health care system of neighboring regions where patients have to be transported.

Merkel also noted the need to continue vaccination and campaigning for the population to get vaccinated. "Even now, it is not too late to make the decision to have the first vaccination, because everyone who vaccinates protects themselves and their loved ones. Vaccination of a sufficient proportion of the population is a way out of the pandemic," Merkel said.