(CNN) 03 NOV– Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said the country was experiencing a “massive” pandemic of the unvaccinated as authorities raised the alarm on rising infections and increased pressure on hospitals due to Covid-19 admissions.
“The number of infections is increasing, as well as the number of deaths from Covid and especially the number of patients in intensive care units in some regions of Germany, regions where vaccination rates are not as high as in other regions,” Spahn said Wednesday, adding that the speed of administration of the booster shots “is not sufficient.”
So far only 66.8% of the population are fully vaccinated in the country. Vaccination has been slower in the Eastern states of Saxony and Thuringia, where vaccination rates are at 59% and 62.2% respectively, according to Ministry of Health figures.
“The truth is that there would be far fewer Covid-19 patients in [intensive care] if everyone who could do it got a vaccination,” Spahn said.
He also called to strengthen checks at public venues where only those with proof of vaccination or a Covid-19 recovery certificate will be granted entry.
“This has nothing to do with harassment to vaccinate, it is mainly about avoiding overloading the health system, as we see in Saxony and Thuringia,” he said.
Lothar Wieler, president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) — the German federal government agency for disease control and prevention — told the same press conference, “If we don’t act now, this fourth wave will still bring a lot of suffering. Many people will become seriously ill and die, and the health care system will be heavily burdened.”
