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Berlin, November 18 (BNA) Germans and Austrians are rushing to get a vaccine against the Corona virus as the number of infections rises across Europe and governments impose restrictions on the unvaccinated, figures showed on Wednesday.
Reuters reported that Germany and Austria have among the lowest vaccination rates in Western Europe, and are now the epicenter of a new wave of the epidemic with the onset of winter on the continent.
British Prime Minister Boris Johnson said last week that he was being cautious about a spike in cases in Europe, warning that the contagion was “pulling out the storm.”
The number of cases in Britain has been much higher than in the rest of Western Europe since the summer, but those rates are dropping as they rise in Central and Eastern Europe.
The German health ministry said 436,000 people received a bullet on Tuesday, including 300,000 boosters, the highest number in nearly three months. Queues formed at vaccination centers across the country.
“It is a sign that many citizens have recognized the need,”
said government spokesman Stephen Seibert. But he added that the vaccination rate is still not enough.
About 65 percent of the Austrian population is fully vaccinated, and about 68 percent of the German population is also Behind the Netherlands, countries such as Italy and Spain were the hardest hit in the first waves of the epidemic.
The Netherlands said it is running short of COVID-19 tests as it recorded more than 20,000 coronavirus cases for the second day in a row, the highest level since the pandemic began.
Sabine Dittmar, a health expert with Germany’s Social Democrats, said she hoped 1.4 million people would be vaccinated per day if the vaccines were given in companies, family doctors and mobile vaccine teams, as well as in vaccination centres.
Official data in Austria showed that the number of vaccines administered daily jumped to about 73,000 last week, from about 20,000 in October, although the vast majority were boosters and not the first vaccines.
Austria has ordered a lockdown of nearly two million people who have not been fully vaccinated. It has one of the highest infection rates on the continent, with a seven-day infection rate of 925 per 100,000 people, compared with 320 in Germany. The total death toll from the epidemic has reached 11,848
Neighboring Switzerland, which has not imposed restrictions on the unvaccinated, has had little success with its new vaccination campaign – it only convinced 35,000 to get the first vaccine last week.
Parts of Germany – including the capital, Berlin – are demanding proof of vaccination or a recent recovery from COVID-19 for all indoor leisure activities, a restriction that could be extended nationally at a meeting of officials on Thursday.
Germany also plans to force people to use public transport or go to workplaces to provide a negative COVID-19 test, proof of recovery or vaccination.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel on Wednesday described the coronavirus situation in Germany as tragic.
Germany reported 52,826 new infections on Wednesday – a jump of a third from last week and another daily record, while 294 people died, bringing the total death toll to 98,274.
“It is not too late to choose the first vaccine,” Merkel told the Congress of German city mayors. “Everyone who is vaccinated protects themselves and others. And if enough people are vaccinated, this is the way out of the epidemic.”
Prime Minister Andrej Babis said on Wednesday that the Czech Republic will prevent unvaccinated people from accessing public events and services from Monday, and negative tests will not be recognized.
The restrictions, to be approved by the government on Thursday, come after a spike in new infections to a record 22,479 on Tuesday.
Slovakia reported a record number of cases on Wednesday, and Hungary and Poland had the highest numbers in more than six months. Sweden plans to offer COVID-19 vaccine cards at indoor events attended by more than 100 people.
MI