Germany's coronavirus reproduction rate dips below critical threshold

The reproduction rate for the coronavirus pandemic in Germany fell below the critical threshold of 1 with an estimated value of 0.94 on Tuesday after 1.07 on Monday, the Robert Koch Institute for public health and disease control said.

The so-called 'R' number indicates that 100 infected people on average infect 94 others, meaning the number of new infections is slowing after accelerating at the beginning of the week.

"So far, we do not expect a renewed rising trend," the RKI said in its daily report, adding the overall number of cases in Germany was diminishing, meaning local outbreaks had a greater impact on 'R' than with higher case numbers.