German Chancellor Angela Merkel issues urgent warning

German Chancellor Angela Merkel issued an urgent warning about handling the pandemic on Thursday to the new government that will replace her, imploring it to take swift and decisive action as the total death toll in the country exceeded 100,000.

Speaking a day after Olaf Scholz unveiled his new center-left-led ruling coalition that will take office next month, Merkel told reporters that “every day counts” as Germany continues to break daily records for coronavirus infection. .

“We need more contact restrictions,” Merkel said, adding that “today she had clearly told” Scholz that “we can still manage this transition period together and discuss all necessary measures.”

Merkel, a trained scientist, called Thursday a “sad day” because of the grim death toll, and said she had sought dialogue with Scholz, a Social Democrat, and the leaders of her Green coalition partners and the libertarian FDP because of to the seriousness of the situation. .

Germany weathered past episodes of the pandemic better than many other European countries, but it has seen a recent resurgence, with intensive care beds filling up quickly.

Europe’s largest economy recorded 351 deaths from Covid in the last 24 hours, bringing the official death toll since the start of the pandemic to 100,119.

The weekly incidence rate also reached an all-time high of 419.7 new infections per 100,000 people, the Robert Koch Institute’s health agency said.

The escalating health crisis poses a baptism of fire for the new government.

The country has been stuck in political limbo since the September 26 general election, with the popular Merkel ruling only in an interim capacity.

His Health Minister Jens Spahn warned this week that most Germans would be “vaccinated, cured or dead” by Covid-19 by the end of winter, and urged more citizens to receive punctures.

‘Thousands die every day’

The peak in Germany comes as Europe has resurfaced as the epicenter of the pandemic, with the continent battling slow vaccine uptake in some nations, the highly contagious Delta variant, the colder climate that sends people inland and the relief from restrictions.

An AFP tally of official figures on Thursday showed that more than 1.5 million people have died from Covid-19 in Europe.

Scholz began a presentation of his new administration’s policy roadmap on Wednesday by announcing new measures to tame the fourth wave.

These included the formation of a crown response task force based in his office and the allocation of 1 billion euros ($ 1.12 billion) in bonuses to overburdened healthcare workers on the front lines.

Greens co-leader Annalena Baerbock told public broadcaster ARD that the incoming coalition would take 10 days, until early December, to decide whether “protective measures go far enough.”

However, that schedule has already been criticized for being too little too late.

“The latest decisions are like announcing in a flood catastrophe a plan to hire more swim teachers and distribute some water wings and rubber ducks,” the Sueddeutsche newspaper enraged.

“The coalition has big plans, but what good are they if we are all locked up for Christmas and thousands die every day?”

Low vaccination rate

As the fourth wave progresses, the German health sector has had to turn to hospitals in other parts of the EU for help.

Last week, Germany began requiring people to prove they are vaccinated, have recovered from Covid-19, or recently tested negative before being able to travel by public transport or enter workplaces.

Several of the worst-hit areas have gone further, canceling big events like Christmas markets and excluding the unvaccinated from bars, gyms and leisure facilities.

The increase has ignited a fierce debate over whether to follow Austria’s lead and make vaccination mandatory for all citizens, with Scholz voicing his support for mandatory hitting for health personnel.

The Covid-19 crisis in Germany has been attributed in part to its relatively low vaccination rate of around 69 percent, compared to other Western European countries like France, where it is 75 percent.

Meanwhile, soccer club Bayern Munich confirmed on Wednesday that star midfielder Joshua Kimmich and substitute forward Eric Choupo-Moting, both unvaccinated, have tested positive for the virus.

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