Published 19:26 IST, March 2nd 2020
Germany confirms 158 coronavirus cases, global toll crosses 89,000
More than half of the cases of the coronavirus infection were detected in the western region of North-Rhine -Westphalia, Germany's most populous state.
Germany has reported a total of 158 cases of the novel coronavirus across 10 states as the disease has now spread to 18 out of 27 EU states infecting a total of 2,100. The cases in Germany spiked from 129 as previously reported on Sunday, March 1, confirmed reports.
The Robert Koch Institute for disease control told the international media that the risk from the COVID-19 in the country was still put at moderate. It said that more than half of the cases of infection were detected in the western region of North-Rhine -Westphalia, Germany's most populous state, where the government had shut down schools and daycare centers after a staff member tested positive to the strain of the virus. There are 81 confirmed cases coronavirus infection in North-Rhine -Westphalia, it added.
An employee infected several
Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute, said in the media reports that one of the German employees in Bavaria who worked at the machine tool manufacturer DMG carried the coronavirus contagion and infected several employees after they came in close contact with the patient. He further added that the employees contracted the virus through human to human transmission. Lothar said that as a precautionary measure to curb the spread, the employees have been isolated and were working from home. There was no indication for when they could return to work, he added.
According to the reports, the COVID-19 virus has spread to at least nine of Germany's 18 states, with Frankfurt, Hamburg and Bremen among the cities that recently reported their first cases. Speaking to the mass daily Bild am Sonntag, Interior Minister of Germany Horst Seehofer said that he did not see a swift end to the virus's spread but was optimistic a cure can be found. As the virus disrupted air travel and supply, the Finance Minister of Germany Olaf Scholz said that the government stood ready to stimulate Germany's export-driven economy if the impact worsened.
Updated 19:26 IST, March 2nd 2020