Friday, March 29, 2024

Merkel tells Germans to get vaccinated for “more freedom”

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BERLIN (Associated Press)-German Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans to be vaccinated against COVID-19 on Tuesday, stating that the more people vaccinated, “the more we will be free”.

The vaccination rate in Germany has slowed in recent weeks. According to official data, approximately 58.7% of the population has been vaccinated at least once, and 43% of the population has been vaccinated comprehensively.

But the German disease control agency said last week that the country’s goal should be to vaccinate 85% of people aged 12-59 and 90% of people over 60 to prevent delta variants from causing a comeback of coronavirus cases this fall and winter. .

Merkel, who has been vaccinated twice, called on people to be vaccinated to protect themselves and others from serious diseases caused by coronavirus infection. She linked higher immunization rates to further relaxation of pandemic restrictions.

“The more people who are vaccinated, the more freedom we will be, and we will be able to live freely again,” she told reporters during a visit to the Robert Koch Institute, a government-run disease control agency.

Germany has relaxed many restrictions on social gatherings in recent months, but people still need to show negative test results or vaccine certificates to eat indoors and participate in indoor activities with limited capacity. Masks are still required in shops.

When asked whether Germany might implement compulsory vaccination for certain occupations, As France does for health workers, Merkel hinted that it would not work, but did not rule out this possibility.

“I don’t rule out the possibility of talking about this in a different way in a few months,” she said. “But we have already said that we don’t want to make vaccination mandatory, we want to promote vaccination.”

Loserweiler, director of the Robert Koch Institute, said research shows that more than 90% of people in Germany are willing to be vaccinated.

Authorities are increasingly trying to provide vaccinations in churches, mosques, supermarket parking lots and sports facilities to help those who have so far hesitated to go to a doctor’s office or a special vaccine center.

Merkel warned Increase in number of cases It will increase the risk of new and more aggressive variants and call on Germans to continue to comply with the regulations on wearing masks, social distancing, hygiene and ventilation rooms.

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Follow all Associated Press reports about the coronavirus pandemic https://apnews.com/coronavirus-pandemic.


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