Merkel says Germany passed the mountain of second COVID-19 wave

Berlin, Germany: Chancellor Angela Merkel declared that Germany is at the peak of its latest coronavirus wave but that before removing any restrictions, she would wait for data on COVID variants.

In an interview with German broadcaster RTL, Merkel stated that Germans would have to "hold out a little longer" before treatments impact hospitalizations.

"I can see a light flickering at the end of the tunnel," Merkel said while she warned against "false hopes."

Germany has reported 2.2 million cases of the virus and has reached nearly 60,000 deaths.

The country shut schools, restaurants, and most stores in December to stop the country's surge of cases. Merkel declared 70 of the country's 401 regions saw the number of new cases go below the target origin of 50 per 100,000 inhabitants in a week.

"We're going to get data at the end of the week or the start of next week on how popular the mutation, this British virus, is," she said, referring to the more transmissible variant that first appeared in southeast England last year.

Merkel said she's had some sleepless nights trying to make decisions that affect the lives of millions and cited a town hall conference earlier in which she spoke to families fighting under the strain of the lockdown.

She also held the slow vaccine rollout in the EU, which has been charged on late approval and orders. Germany has treated more than two million people so far.

"I think we're going to make up quite a bit," she said, adding that new mutations might require routine protection in the future, similar to the flu.

Asked how she manages to keep her trademark hairstyle in shape during the lockdown, which has led to the closure of barbers, Merkel recognized receiving "the help of an assistant."

United Kingdom have also announced on Wednesday that hospitalizations due to coronavirus have reduced and the country is now experiencing lesser threat.