One out of every 100 people in Germany is infected with the coronavirus
BERLIN — Germany’s health minister said Friday that more than 1% of the country’s population is currently infected with the coronavirus, and he called on unvaccinated citizens to get their COVID-19 shots.
Authorities confirmed 74,352 new daily coronavirus cases and 390 additional deaths. According to the Robert Koch Institute, Germany’s federal disease control agency, some 925,800 people are considered actively infected with the coronavirus.
Health Minister Jens Spahn noted that the number of unvaccinated residents who are infected and seriously ill is much higher than their share of the overall population.
“If all German adults were vaccinated, we wouldn’t be in this difficult situation,” he told reporters in Berlin.
Gloom and frustration as already struggling Europe faces down new coronavirus variant Omicron .
Spahn spoke a day after federal and state leaders announced tough new restrictions that largely target unvaccinated people, banning them from entering nonessential stores, restaurants, and sports and cultural venues. The government also plans to submit a general vaccine mandate for the federal parliament to consider.
Spahn, who is likely to leave his post next week when Germany’s new center-left coalition government takes office, has opposed compulsory vaccination and made clear Friday that he would vote against the measure.
About 68.8% of people in Germany are fully vaccinated, a lower proportion than the government’s minimum target of 75%. For the first time since the summer, more than 1 million COVID-19 vaccine doses were administered on a single day Wednesday.
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