COVID-19 updates: 2 cases of omicron variant confirmed in Canada, officials say

Germany has become the latest country to surpass 100,000 deaths from COVID-19 since the pandemic began, according to official figures released Thursday.

The Western European country recorded 351 fatalities from the disease in the past 24 hours, bringing the death toll to 100,119, according to data from the Robert Koch Institute, Germany's public health agency.

In Europe, Germany is the fifth country to reach that grim milestone, after Russia, the United Kingdom, Italy and France.

Germany, the largest economy in Europe, is among several countries on the continent that are grappling with a recent resurgence in COVID-19 cases. Last week, the German government imposed tougher restrictions to curb the new wave of infections, as hospital beds quickly fill up.

German Health Minister Jens Spahn warned citizens that their survival could hinge on their vaccination status.

"Some would say this is cynical but probably by the end of this winter, pretty much everyone in Germany will be vaccinated, recovered or dead," Spahn told reporters in Berlin on Monday. "That’s the reality."

Just 27% of health workers in Africa, the world's second-largest continent, have been fully vaccinated against COVID-19, according to a preliminary analysis by the World Health Organization.

The WHO said an analysis of data reported from 25 African nations found that, since March, only 1.3 million health workers are fully vaccinated. Just six of those countries have fully vaccinated 90% of their health workers, while nine countries have less than 40%. Meanwhile, a recent WHO global study of 22 mostly high-income nations found that over 80% of their health workers are fully vaccinated.

"The majority of Africa's health workers are still missing out on vaccines and remain dangerously exposed to severe COVID-19 infection," Dr. Matshidiso Moeti, the WHO's regional director for Africa, said in a statement Thursday. "Unless our doctors, nurses and other frontline workers get full protection we risk a blowback in the efforts to curb this disease. We must ensure our health facilities are safe working environments."

Amid a record-setting COVID-19 surge, New Hampshire Gov. Chris Sununu signed an executive order allowing hospitals to establish temporary acute care centers, or internal "surge centers," in an effort to increase bed capacity.

"We are seeing record levels of cases; we're seeing record levels of hospitalizations. This winter surge that we predicted is unfortunately now rearing its ugly head. We are definitely in the throes of it," Sununu said during a press conference on Tuesday.

The state is also working to identify whether the National Guard can play a role in supporting hospitals.

"I think the next few weeks are going to be very telling. I think it's going to be a fairly bumpy road. We just want everyone to be vaccinated. Be safe because the system right now is at an emergency point," Sununu added.

The governor made clear that this executive order is not a state of emergency.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos

Hospital admissions in the U.S. are up by 15% over the last two weeks, according to federal data.

These states and Washington, D.C, have seen at least a 10% increase in hospital admissions over the last week: Arkansas, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Kentucky, Maine, Maryland, Massachusetts, Michigan, Missouri, Nebraska, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas and Wisconsin.

The U.S. daily case average has jumped by more than 46% since late October, according to federal data.

The Northeast and Midwest are seeing the greatest increase in cases and hospitalizations.

In Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont, case averages are up 30%.

-ABC News' Arielle Mitropoulos