Germany's meat processing company outbreak infects 1,331

BERLIN - The number of persons infected from a COVID-19 outbreak in the meat processing company Toennies in the district of Guetersloh in North-Rhine Westphalia (NRW) had risen to 1,331 as of Sunday afternoon, according to the press release of the district.

The district of Guetersloh said 6,139 tests had been carried out, and 5,899 results are now available, among which 1,331 are positive. Five employees of the company are now in intensive care. The tests showed that the number of positive results outside the decomposition unit is significantly lower than in the decomposition unit.

Minister President of the NRW, Armin Laschet, said on Sunday there is "an enormous pandemic risk," however, the infection can be localized at the company and there is no chain of infection in the rest of the region's population.

Due to several cluster infections in Germany, the daily number of new infections has been significantly higher than weeks ago. Statistics of the disease control agency, Robert Koch Institute (RKI), showed on Sunday that 189,822 people in Germany are proven to be infected with COVID-19, 687 more than the day before. And 8,882 people have died from COVID-19.