MOSCOW, Nov. 21 (Xinhua) -- Germany reported 22,964 new COVID-19 cases over the past 24 hours, bringing the national count to 902,528, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said Saturday.

A woman wearing a face mask is seen in front of a building in Berlin, capital of Germany, on Oct. 22, 2020. (Photo: Xinhua)

Meanwhile, 254 more deaths from the coronavirus were registered across the country, taking the nationwide death toll to 13,884. More than 593,000 patients have recovered from the disease within the same period of time, according to the RKI.

The country entered a partial lockdown in November in reaction to the second COVID-19 wave and rising infection numbers.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said earlier that a COVID-19 vaccine would be available soon. She said at a press conference that she expected a vaccine to be approved in Europe in December or "very soon after the turn of the year."