Germany's coronavirus situation is dramatic, Merkel says
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[November 17, 2021]
Germany's coronavirus situation is
dramatic, Merkel says
BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany's coronavirus situation is dramatic,
Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Wednesday, calling for a push to
distribute booster shots faster and appealing to those sceptical of
vaccination to change their minds.
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 Germany reported 52,826 new infections on Wednesday - a jump of a
third compared with a week ago and another daily record, while 294
people died, bringing the total to 98,274, as the pandemic's fourth
wave tightened its grip on Europe.
"It is not too late to opt for a first vaccine shot," Merkel told a
congress of German city mayors. "Everyone who gets vaccinated
protects himself and others. And if enough people get vaccinated
that is the way out of the pandemic."
Only 68% of people in Europe's most populous country are fully
vaccinated - lower than the average in western Europe due to a
tradition of vaccine hesitancy, while 5% of the population has had a
booster shot.
Merkel, governing in a caretaker capacity during negotiations to
form a coalition government after an election in September, said
there needs to be a national effort to get mass distribution of
vaccine booster shots underway.
She also appealed to federal and regional leaders meeting on
Thursday to introduce a measure that would trigger tighter
restrictions based on the number of infected people who have to go
to hospital in a week.
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 Germany has enough doses for a
booster campaign, in part because it has delayed
plans to donate vaccines to the COVAX facility
that distributes them to poorer countries,
Health Minister Jens Spahn said.
The Social Democrats, Greens and Free Democrats,
who are negotiating to form the next government,
are set to propose a range of measures to fight
the pandemic in a draft law set to be voted on
in parliament on Thursday.
They want to force people using public transport
or attending workplaces to provide a negative
COVID-19 test, or proof of recovery or
vaccination.
(Writing by Paul Carrel and Emma Thomasson;
Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Mark Heinrich)
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