BERLIN (AP) – The transfer of coronavirus patients on German Air Force planes in different parts of the country should be a “wake-up call” for millions of people who still resist being vaccinated against COVID-19, the minister said. of Health of Germany on Saturday.
Jens Spahn indicated that during the last week there was an increase in the number of people who received the first dose of the vaccine, with 450,000, which he attributed to the rise in coronavirus infections in the country and the requirement to present vaccination certificates or recent recovery to be able to participate in many activities.
But it is still not enough and “this figure of almost 12 million unvaccinated adults is too high,” Spahn said at a virtual municipal event. So far, 68.4% of the population of 83 million people is fully vaccinated, below the minimum threshold of 75% set by the government. There are considerable regional variations.
Hospitals in the southern and eastern regions of Germany have warned that they will be left without beds in their intensive care units due to the large number of severely ill patients from COVID-19. Germany is organizing massive transfers of patients within the country for the first time since the outbreak emerged in early 2020, including with help from the military.
“Hopefully this will be a wake-up call for many people that vaccination is a very good thing,” added Spahn.
Germany has seen a relentless rise in coronavirus infections in recent weeks, with the infection rate reaching its highest level every day. On Saturday, it was 444.3 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants over seven days. The known average of COVID-19 deaths topped 100,000 on Thursday.
The stalling of Germany’s response to the coronavirus has been attributed to the transition period of the takeover of a new government scheduled for December.
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