BERLIN (Reuters) – The light is at the end of the tunnel and “we are going to defeat this virus,” Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Germans on Thursday, just a day after asking the country to forgive its half-turn on a blocking breaker. during Easter.
Merkel’s decision on Wednesday to abandon plans for an extended Easter holiday to try to break a third wave of COVID-19, agreed two days earlier during negotiations with governors from 16 states in Germany, raised concerns that she had lost control over the crisis.
In a firm 27-minute speech to lawmakers on Thursday, she acknowledged how difficult life is for many people, but asked them to think positively, arguing that vaccines offered a way out of the crisis.
“It will take a few more months, but the light at the end of the tunnel is visible. We will defeat this virus! ”She told legislators in the lower house of parliament, the Bundestag.
“Now it is a question of gaining strength and moving forward in a positive way, although the situation is difficult at the moment. This is what I want from everyone in this country, ”said Merkel to loud applause.
Germany reported an additional 22,657 infections on Thursday, while the death toll rose from 228 to 75,440. Deaths have fallen since the beginning of the year, when vaccinations had not started, but admissions to intensive care units are increasing and the incidence of seven-day cases is now 113, compared with 90 the previous week.
Merkel addressed the Bundestag before a summit of EU leaders on Thursday, at which she said they would discuss how to ensure that more vaccines are produced on European soil.
The European Commission has threatened to ban exports to countries like Britain, which have higher vaccination rates, but do not export vaccines to the EU. The objective is to safeguard the supply of the bloc’s own citizens, who are facing the third wave of the pandemic.
“British production units are manufacturing for Great Britain and the United States does not export, so we have what we can do in Europe,” said Merkel.
“We have to assume that the virus, with its mutations, may be occupying us for a long time, so the issue goes far beyond this year,” he added.
Britain and the European Commission said on Wednesday that they were discussing how they could work together to create a “win-win” situation in the COVID-19 vaccines after the bloc threatened to take tougher measures to curb export deliveries. vaccines.
Before the EU summit, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder supported calls for control of vaccine exports from Europe.
“It is necessary to prohibit the export of European vaccines to countries that produce them and do not supply anything to Europe”, he tweeted.
Reporting by Paul Carrel; Editing by Riham Alkousaa and Catherine Evans