BERLIN (AP) – In what could have been her last weekly message as German chancellor, Angela Merkel again called on the public on Saturday to get vaccinated against COVID-19.
Merkel delivered what is expected to be her last weekly message before leaving office next week, and two days after, together with state leaders, they agreed on new measures to try to stop a new wave of coronavirus infections in the country.
The measures include the prohibition of unvaccinated people from accessing non-essential shops, restaurants and sports and cultural centers. In a longer-term initiative, parliament will consider making the vaccine mandatory.
At least 68.9% of the population has the complete vaccination schedule, well below the minimum target of 75% established by the authorities. The large number of unvaccinated people has been identified as a key factor in the spike in infections in recent weeks.
Official figures suggest that the infection rate could be stabilizing, albeit at too high a level.
The national center for disease control, the Robert Koch Institute, said Saturday that in the last 24 hours, 64,510 new infections were confirmed and a seven-day infection rate of 442.7 new cases per 100,000 residents. In addition, 378 more deaths were reported, bringing the national total to 102,946 people since the start of the pandemic.
“Each of them leaves behind family or friends stunned, speechless and powerless,” Merkel said in her video message. “This is very bitter because it is avoidable. With effective and safe vaccines, we have the key to this in our hands ”.
Merkel renewed her call for the population to take the virus seriously, adding that the new omicron variant “appears to be even more contagious than the previous ones.”
“Get vaccinated, it doesn’t matter if it’s the first dose or the booster dose,” Merkel said. “Every vaccine helps.”
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