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The German Chancellor said the current number of cases across the country remains too high. As a result, vaccine production needs to be significantly increased in order to help combat the spread of infections. Her remarks came after coronavirus cases in Germany passed the three-million mark. Mrs Merkel said Germany needs to implement a more stringent testing regime until its vaccination campaign starts to take an effect. “Testing will help us to build a bridge until vaccinations start to take effect,” she told a digital event. The Robert Koch Institute confirmed the total number of infections now stands at 3,011,513 after Germany’s centre for disease control confirmed 13,245 new cases. The third wave of infections across the country has showed no signs of easing in recent weeks. The chances of Germany reopening remain slim with the national lockdown expected to be kept in place while cases remain high. The national incidence rate for the past seven days has been at 136.4 per 100,000 people. Mrs Merkel has warned any rate over 100 means the healthcare system is at risk of being overwhelmed. And national authorities believe the figure should be below 50 before any lockdown measures can be relaxed. The RKI has said the latest death toll from the pandemic stands at 78,452 in Germany. The disease control chiefs said just 12.7 million people had been vaccinated with at least one dose of a coronavirus vaccine. The figure is a more than 25 percent increase compared to the previous week as the country shows signs of overcoming a sluggish start to its vaccination campaign. Germany and other EU countries are expected to receive a slight boost to their vaccination drives with the first deliveries of US Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The one-shot jab is expected to boost the bloc’s ailing rollout because it is much easier to administer. As many as 50 million doses of the American vaccine could be delivered to member states by the end of June. "The first doses are leaving warehouses for member states today," a European Commission spokesman said. "Johnson & Johnson begins vaccine shipments to the EU today.”