Berlin, Jan 5 (BUS): A German activist hopes the emotional appeal of 700 sheep in the form of a giant syringe will reach the hearts and minds of people who are reluctant to take the COVID-19 shot.
Germany has lower vaccination rates than most other Western European countries, although some are simply unsure whether they should get vaccinated rather than strongly oppose vaccination.
“Sheep are popular with people and carry positive emotional connotations. So maybe they can reach a lot of people emotionally when logic and scientific thinking don’t do the job,” campaign organizer Hanspeter Itzold said.
Itzold works with sponsors, businesses and animals to run team building events in the northern German town of Schneferdingen.
“I have noticed how enthusiastic the sheep are received and they simply reach people in their depths, which may not be rationally possible, with rational arguments,” he said.
The animals, which belong to shepherd Stephen Schmidt and his wife, followed pieces of bread scattered on the ground to form a 100-meter syringe as they were photographed by a drone.
According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute for Infectious Diseases, 71.3% of Germany’s population had received two doses of the COVID-19 vaccine and 39.3% had received booster doses by Tuesday.
This places Germany among the Western European countries with the lowest vaccination rates, data from the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control shows.
At the same time, only about 5%-10% of Germans are strongly against vaccination and the rest are hesitant, according to RKI data.
HF