Berlin, Dec 29 (IANS): The total number of coronavirus-related deaths in Germany reached 30,126 on Monday and increased by 348 in 24 hours, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.

The daily increase in Covid-19 infections in the country was 10,976, below last week's level. By Monday, Germany had registered a total of 1.65 million Covid-19 cases, Xinhua news agency reported.

According to the RKI, the federal government agency for disease control and prevention, the latest figures could be skewed due to the lower number of tests conducted and the delays in reporting during the Christmas break.

Germany is in a hard lockdown due to the high Covid-19 infection and death rates. Vaccination rollout began on Sunday following the formal approval of the vaccine produced by the German pharmaceutical company BioNTech and US company Pfizer.

"If we want our life back, we need this vaccine and this vaccination, and that is why yesterday was a good day," Minister of Health Jens Spahn told the German public broadcaster ZDF on Monday.

"This is an important day in the fight against the pandemic."

Citing the complexity of vaccine production, Spahn said: "We are doing everything together with BioNTech and Pfizer so that there can be additional production facilities here in Germany."

Spahn stressed that one of the goals is to start production at a plant in Marburg north of Frankfurt before the end of February or in early March.

"That would increase the volume enormously," he added.