Prognosis
German Cases Rise at Faster Pace Though Key Spread Gauge Drops
- Metric on reproduction rate flagged by Chancellor Merkel falls
- New cases rise in Spain, Italy and France; Denmark opening up
A ICU physician treats a Covid-19 patient at a hospital in Magdeburg, Germany, on April 16.
Photographer: Ronny Hartman/AFP via Getty Images
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Germany’s coronavirus cases increased at a faster rate for a second day Friday, though a key metric on the spread of the disease registered a decline as the nation readies for some restrictions on public life to be lifted from next week.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has singled out the reproduction factor -- known by epidemiologists as R-naught -- as an important means of gauging how successful countries have been at keeping the virus in check.