Hospitals thought they would see a shortage of a Covid-19 vaccine. Sometimes, they have to shell out doses

“Covid” is written on a coffin containing a deceased person who died from the Coronavirus. Coffins stand in the worship room at the crematorium before they were cremated in Saxony, Meissen, Germany, on January 8. Robert Michael / Getty Images

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

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

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

Germany, which has been praised for its handling of the first wave of the pandemic, reported the largest 24-hour increase in Covid-19 deaths on Friday. Thus, the death toll in the country increased by 1,188 within 24 hours.

The lockdown was extended as more cases increased: Earlier in the week, the government extended the country’s national lockdown – originally scheduled for January 10 – until the end of the month, while tightening restrictions on movement and communication to curb the spread of the virus.

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