Germany’s Covid-19 cases jump by 2,705 in one day as death toll hits 47

The number of Covid-19 cases in Germany has climbed by 2,705 to 16,662 and the death toll has hit 47 after 16 fresh fatalities were reported on Saturday.

The Robert Koch Institute announced the stark figure on Saturday morning and it is based on data collected up until midnight on Friday.

The federal agency, which is responsible for disease control and prevention in Germany, said a total of 47 people have died after testing positive for the illness, an increase of 16 from Friday’s tally.

Germany's leading health official in the fight against the pandemic urged people to keep their distance in order to combat the spread of the illness, but added that it was up to the authorities to decide whether to impose a curfew to force them to do so.

"We recommend keeping maximal distance. It is up to the authorities to decide on the measures needed to achieve that," Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, told reporters on Friday.

The virus that emerged late last year has claimed more than 11,400 lives around the world. The epicenter of the global outbreak shifted to Europe in the recent weeks and the continent is reeling from the disease, with cases skyrocketing across several countries. However, figures from China, where the pandemic began, show that the country has wrestled the virus under control.

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