GPs have posted naked selfies to draw attention to the shortage of protective equipment and clothing for healthcare workers on the German coronavirus frontline.

The group Blanke Bedenken aim to tell Germany's health ministers that their calls over several months for more protective gear weren't heard.

They said 'when we run out of what little we have, we look like this', suggesting that going to work without PPE in the current crisis is like being naked.

One GP in the group told ÄrzteZeitung: 'The nudity is a symbol of how vulnerable we are without protection.'
Members of the group said they felt at risk from coronavirus and many doctors have repeatedly asked for more kit since the first cases of the bug in Germany in January.

Firms producing the equipment increased the amount they were producing but still didn't meet demands.

Filter masks, goggles, gloves and aprons were frequently requested by medical practices, clinics and care homes but they say their needs have barely been met, The Mirror reported
The petition has been signed by more than 1,000 people so far.

At the beginning of April protective face masks destined for Berlin were allegedly intercepted at Bangkok Airport.

They were reportedly diverted to the US, prompting angry German officials to blast Donald Trump for the move.
Berlin's interior minister Andreas Geisel said: 'We consider that an act of modern piracy.'

Yesterday Germany recorded 1,018 new coronavirus cases which is the smallest jump in the country for more than six weeks.

The new infections are the fewest since March 14, when the figure was last in the hundreds.

The mortality rate is 3.7 per cent, which is lower than Italy, Spain and Britain which have rates of 13.5, 11.2 and 13.6 per cent respectively.

This has allowed Germany to start edging out of lockdown but experts warned against complacency.