Delivering his first major address in parliament to Germans across the country, Germany’s new leader, Olaf Scholz, urged everyone to get vaccinated, saying it was the only way out of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Scholz has said that the federal government will do everything that is possible to control the spread of the new Omicron variant of coronavirus and there would be “no red lines” in the government’s battle to contain COVID-19, announcing no step to be too great in that fight.
“Yes, it will get better. Yes, we will win the fight against this pandemic with the biggest determination. And, yes, … we will overcome the crisis,” Scholz said, striking an optimistic tone amid the warnings about the virus.
Chancellor’s address comes amid concerns about a fourth wave of new COVID-19 infections in Germany, fueled by unvaccinated citizens.
Last Sunday, Scholz expressed his personal support for vaccine mandates across Germany, stating that he would “vote for compulsory vaccination, because it is legally permissible and morally right.”
Germany’s parliament recently mandated that, from next spring, all medical and care staff must be inoculated for COVID-19.
Omicron first emerged in southern Africa in November and quickly spread to some 60 countries worldwide. Germany reported its first confirmed cases of the new strain in Bavaria that month, followed by another outbreak days later in Baden-Württemberg.
Since the beginning of the pandemic, Germany has recorded 6.56 million confirmed cases of COVID-19 and 106,277 deaths from the virus, according to data provided to the World Health Organization (WHO) .
127,820,557 doses of a COVID-19 vaccine have so far been administered in the country of more than 80 million people.
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