German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in a press conference Wednesday that up to 70 percent of Germans could contract the COVID-19 coronavirus.

There are currently 1,622 cases of the virus in the country and 3 deaths.

“We are in a situation where we don’t know many things, and what we don’t know, we have to take seriously,” Merkel said at the press conference, according to reports.

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German lawmakers will convene on Thursday to discuss future plans on how to address the crisis.

Merkel said her thoughts are with Italy, one of the countries hit hardest by the virus. There have been 10,149 cases and 631 deaths in Italy as of Wednesday morning, according to the Johns Hopkins Center for Systems Science and Engineering.

The Italian government issued a decree this week asking citizens to remain in their homes and avoid public gatherings.

Worldwide, there are currently 121,061 confirmed cases of the coronavirus and 4,369 deaths, according to John Hopkins.