Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn and Robert Koch Institute (RKI) President Lothar Wieler have painted a dramatic picture of the coronavirus situation. “The momentum is unbroken,” Spahn said today in Berlin. The situation is more serious than last week, he said. “It’s ten past twelve.”
Referring to the situation in German hospitals, Spahn said, “We are in a national emergency that also needs a joint effort.” Wieler pointed out that in more than a quarter of counties, the 7-day incidence is above 500, and many hospitals are at breaking point. “We need to turn the tide now. There’s really no time to lose.”
Among other things, the RKI president called for closing hotspots such as poorly ventilated bars and stressed the importance of vaccinations. “Vaccinations work very, very well,” Wieler said. “We need to close the vaccination gaps now.”
Spahn pointed to progress on vaccination. More than six million doses will be delivered in the coming week, up from around four million previously, Spahn said. Meanwhile, more than 45,000 doctors’ offices are again involved in vaccinations, compared with 20,000 in the summer and 75,000 at the peak, he said. The trend is “clearly going in the right direction,” according to Spahn.
— source: orf.at/picture:pixabay.com
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