Germany takes in some coronavirus patients from Italy

German hospitals have taken in about 50 Italian coronavirus patients, German foreign minister Heiko Maas said on Thursday.

“We stand by our Italian friends. We can only manage this together,” Maas said in a statement, Reuters reported.

Italy, the epicenter of COVID-19 in Europe, has seen its health system become overrun and exhausted by the virus. More than 8,200 people have died from the virus in Italy, the most in the world. There are more than 80,000 confirmed cases of the disease in the country.

Italy has instituted a complete lockdown of the country as it tries to get the outbreak under control. Residents must have written government approval to leave their homes.

Germany has been hit moderately hard by the coronavirus, with more than 47,000 confirmed cases and at least 285 deaths, according to John Hopkins University.