Germany Covid: A clear warning from the health minister to get vaccinated
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The German health minister has delivered his most stern warning yet about the necessity of vaccinations.
At the end of this winter, everyone in Germany will either be vaccinated, recovered, or dead, Jens Spahn said Monday at a press conference in Berlin.
The fourth wave of coronavirus has struck Germany. The number of cases is constantly increasing, and many hospitals are already at capacity. It has one of Western Europe’s lowest vaccination rates.
The infection rate in Germany is at its highest level since the pandemic began, and health experts have warned that this wave could be the deadliest yet. There have been 30,643 new infections in the last 24 hours, which is 7,000 higher than a week earlier. This is one of the world’s highest rates. Unvaccinated people will be barred from specific venues, and some of Germany’s famous Christmas markets will be cancelled.
Mr Spahn added that while he was opposed to making COVID vaccinations mandatory, it was a moral imperative to acquire the vaccine because it affects others.
According to the minister, “The highly contagious Delta variety is driving the latest wave, and everyone who is not vaccinated will become infected and without protection over the next six months.”
At Monday’s news conference, Mr Spahn also highlighted the US-made Moderna vaccine, referring to it as the Rolls-Royce of vaccinations, during which high demand for the German-produced Pfizer/BioNTech vaccines threatened to deplete stockpiles.
He warned that if 16 million Moderna doses are not used within the next four months, they will expire. By the end of the week, the country expects the European Union to approve vaccines for children aged five to eleven. More than 99,000 individuals have died and 5.4 million have been infected with COVID-19 in Germany since the outbreak began.