The death toll in the country rose by 85 to 10,183, according to the RKI.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn, who tested positive for the coronavirus last week, told local broadcaster SWR on Wednesday that it was better to break the Covid-19 wave now, Xinhua news agency reported.

"When the intensive care units are full, it is too late."

The number of Covid-19 patients in need of intensive care treatment in Germany has more than doubled in the past two weeks to 1,470 patients on Tuesday, according to the latest daily situation report by the RKI.

It was about a "joint effort" in November to reduce the number of personal contacts, Spahn said in the run-up to the meeting of German Chancellor Angela Merkel with the minister presidents of the federal states on Wednesday to discuss tougher Covid-19 measures to counteract the spread of the virus.

The number of cities and districts in Germany that exceeded the critical threshold of 50 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants in the past seven days continued to rise as well. According to the RKI, eight districts even showed a seven-day incidence of 200 cases per 100,000 inhabitants.