Merkel: The more people are vaccinated, the freer we will be

The Chancellor Angela Merkel called on citizens to plan their vaccination in order to “protect themselves and their loved ones”, stressing that “the more vaccinated, the freer we will be again”.

He pointed out, however, that the government does not plan compulsory vaccination and that at this stage he is investing in “advertising” the benefits of vaccination. Health Minister Jens Spann described the vaccination as a “patriotic obligation” and stressed that how good the situation will be in the autumn and winter depends on the course of the vaccinations.

“Vaccination not only protects you, but also someone close to you and whom you love.” The chancellor said during a visit to the Robert Koch Institute earlier today, calling on citizens to be vaccinated and those who have already been vaccinated to “speak to those who trust them, promoting the vaccine”. The pandemic, Merkel said, showed that one is dependent on the other and no one protects themselves. He even warned of the risk of new mutations, especially where there is a large number of cases, while, in terms of protection against the highly contagious “Delta” variant, he noted that in order to achieve this, the vaccination rate should reach 85 % for those aged 12-59 and 90% for those over 60. “But this is still a long way off,” the chancellor acknowledged, as in Germany the vaccination process has been completed for 42.6% of the population, while 58.5% have received the first dose. The main goal remains, as the Chancellor underlined, the prevention of excessive burden on the health system and he explained that the vaccination helps so that possible larger numbers of cases can be treated.

“According to a study by the Robert Koch Institute, 88% of adults are either already vaccinated or willing to be vaccinated, while 84% of health and education staff were in May and had already received at least one dose of the vaccine in June.”

“ICUs will not be filled in a possible fourth wave due to vaccination”

The chairman of the board of the German Hospital Association (DKG) Gerald Gusz points out that a possible fourth coronavirus does not involve overcrowded intensive care units, thanks to vaccinations.

“I see the use of the term ‘fourth wave’ critically. It raises fears among citizens that with the growing number of cases, the intensive care units will again be full of Covid patients. But thanks to vaccination, this is not the case. We expect the number of infections to increase in the autumn, but this is not a threat to the German healthcare system. Infections, serious illnesses and deaths are increasingly disconnected. “We expect that with the same positivity index we will have far fewer patients with coronavirus in clinics,” Gus told the Bild newspaper.

Referring to the current vaccination campaign, Gus called on citizens to take more personal responsibility: “If everyone who wants to be vaccinated has the opportunity to do so, then those who do not should take personal responsibility again. Among those who are not vaccinated and do not want to take protective measures, there will certainly be serious Covid patients. However, this is the personal responsibility of each individual, as in the case of smoking “, concluded the head of DKG.

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