Hospitals thought they’d see Covid-19 vaccine shortages. Sometimes, they have to throw away doses

More than 40,000 people have died from symptoms related to the novel coronavirus in Germany, according to data from the country’s center for disease control.

The daily tally from the Robert Koch Institute showed an additional 465 deaths in a span of 24 hours, bringing the country’s total death toll to 40,343.

The country also recorded 16,946 new infections in the same time frame, bringing total cases to 1,908,527.

Germany, which was praised for its handling of the first wave of the pandemic, reported its largest 24-hour increase in Covid-19 fatalities on Friday. With this, the country’s death toll increased by 1,188 in 24 hours.

Lockdown extended as cases surge: Earlier in the week, the government extended the country’s national lockdown — originally scheduled until January 10 — until the end of the month, while tightening restrictions on movement and contact to curb the spread of the virus.

Germany pushes ahead with vaccine drive: On Saturday, Health Minister Jens Spahn announced that half a million people across the country had been vaccinated against Covid-19.