BERLIN, Feb 17 (Reuters) - Germany is set to speed up its
vaccination programme, but even with declining case numbers the
rapid spread of more infectious variants of the coronavirus
means nobody should drop their guard, Health Minister Jens Spahn
said on Wednesday.
Spahn told a news conference that Germany would have
received a total of 10 million vaccine doses by the end of next
week. Some 4 million people, mostly carers and care home
residents, have so far been vaccinated.
He added that a government programme to offer everyone free,
rapid antigen coronavirus tests from March, financed from the
public purse, would also help slow the spread of the virus.
The German government has faced criticism for its relatively
slow pace of vaccinations, and business is increasingly
impatient for an easing of the lockdown, now in its fourth
month, especially with case numbers drifting downwards.
While vaccination was voluntary, Spahn urged the public to
take up the offer of a jab: "If you wait, you risk serious
illness," he said.
Authorities reported on Wednesday that the number of new
cases per 100,000 people over a week was now at 57, near the 50
mark where the epidemic no longer risks overburdening the health
system, but well above 35, the point at which the government has
promised a cautious opening.
Spahn said the more infectious British variant now made up
22% of new cases, and its share was doubling each week, while
the South African variant made up 1.5%.
Other politicians, including Economy Minister Peter
Altmaier, called on Wednesday for lockdown in Europe's largest
economy to be ended "as soon as possible," but Spahn appealed
for caution.
"Schools and kindergartens come first," he said, warning
that the impact on spread had to be fully evaluated before
considering any further openings.
(Reporting by Thomas Escritt and Thomas Seythal, editing by
Emma Thomasson and Hugh Lawson)