Angela Merkel called on unvaccinated Germans to get vaccinated as soon as possible because the country’s coronavirus infection rate has hit a series of new highs.
The German Centers for Disease Control stated that the country’s infection rate climbed to 277.4 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants within 7 days, up from 263.7 the day before.
The Robert Koch Institute reported 45,081 new infections, and the total number of daily infections exceeded 50,000 for the first time two days later.
Another 228 Covid-19 deaths brought Germany’s total number of pandemics so far to 97,617.
The outgoing German Chancellor said in her weekly podcast: “If we stand together, if we consider protecting ourselves and caring for others, we can save a lot of our country this winter.”
She warned that “the next few weeks will be very difficult.”
Although the infection rate is not as high as in some other European countries, its continued rise in Germany has sounded the alarm.
Merkel plans to meet with the country’s 16 governors next week to coordinate measures across the country. Parliament is considering legislation to provide a new legal framework for winter restrictions.
Merkel expressed her concern about the large number of intensive care patients and the rising number of deaths—especially in areas with low vaccination rates.
“Think again,” Merkel said to those who haven’t received the jab. “We just need to grab it, grab it quickly.
“I’m asking you: join us and try to persuade relatives and friends,” she added.
The Chancellor of the Exchequer also called on those who have already been vaccinated to step up their Covid injections. Merkel said that enhanced vaccination is “a real opportunity to break the severe fall and winter pandemic wave.”
Germany has been trying to bring new momentum to its vaccination campaign recently, with more than two-thirds of the population fully vaccinated. Children under 12 years of age who have not been vaccinated in Germany are among the most affected groups.
The head of the German Teachers’ Association warned on Saturday that local health authorities are working hard to control the outbreak in schools across the country.
“The reality is that we are already on the verge of losing control in some hot spots,” Heinz-Peter Metzinger told the weekly newspaper Welt am Sonntag. “We no longer know how to control infection outbreaks in schools.”
Also on Saturday, the government again began to provide free rapid Covid testing. In order to persuade more people to get vaccinated, they were abandoned a month ago.
