COVID-19 cases are reaching an “exponential rate” in Germany and there may not be enough vaccine doses to prevent a third wave, German Health Minister Jens Spahn warned at a news conference on Friday, according to with Deutsche Welle.
Why does it matter: The deteriorating health situation means that Germany may need to consider more restrictive measures, interrupting plans to reopen, Spahn noted.
- On Monday, Chancellor Angela Merkel plans to meet with governors from 16 states in Germany, where they will discuss the possibility of a new blockade, reports the NPR.
What they are saying: “There are still not enough vaccine doses in Europe to stop just the third wave of vaccination,” said Spahn.
- “Even if EU order deliveries are reliable, it will still be a few weeks before risk groups are fully vaccinated.”
- “The growing number of cases could mean that we cannot take any further steps towards opening in the coming weeks. On the contrary, we may even have to step back,” said Spahn.
He added that he would be in favor of Germany signing an agreement with Russia to obtain doses of its Sputnik V vaccine.
- “In fact, I am very much in favor of us doing this nationally, if the European Union does not do something.”
The big picture: On Friday, Lars Schaade, vice president of the Robert Koch Institute in Germany, warned that the spread of COVID-19 variants means that “there are difficult weeks ahead”.
- “It is very possible that during Easter we have a situation similar to the one we had before Christmas, with very high numbers of cases, many serious cases and deaths and crowded hospitals”.
What to watch: Experts warned that the increase in the number of cases in Europe may soon be reflected in the US