Germany’s labs have increased their coronavirus testing capacity to 141,815 PCR (polymerase chain reaction) tests a day, according to the Robert Koch Institute, the national center for disease control.
That means the nation’s labs can conduct 860,494 tests a week, said RKI. This estimate factors in that not all labs work seven days a week.
It’s a twofold increase: last week, German labs only tested 467,137 tests.
Aggressive testing ahead of reopening: Germany has said that extensive testing is a key factor in its strategy to combat Covid-19 and for loosening some of the restrictions that have been placed on public life.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel is set to meet later today in a video conference with state governors to discuss possible further easing of restrictions.
Germany reported 1,478 new cases and 173 deaths in the past 24 hours, according to RKI.
