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Germany hits record 100,000 daily Covid-19 cases

(ANSA-AFP) - BERLIN, JAN 19 - Germany's daily toll of new Covid-19 cases topped 100,000 for the first time on Wednesday, according to data from the country's public health agency. Europe's biggest economy recorded 112,323 new infections over the past 24 hours and 239 fatalities, the Robert Koch Institute said. The weekly incidence rate reached 584.4 new infections per 100,000 people over the past seven days. Germany has introduced some curbs to cut contamination, limiting access to bars and restaurants to people who have received their booster jabs or who are tested on top of being fully vaccinated or recovered. Contact restrictions are also in place keeping private gatherings to 10 people, or two households if an unvaccinated person is present. Germany's record rise in coronavirus cases comes as Omicron has become the dominant variant, accounting for more than 70 percent of new infections. Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said the true number of infections could be up to two times higher than the official figures. Numbers will likely continue to rise, peaking in around "mid-February", he told the RTL broadcaster. (ANSA-AFP).