Germany is extending its Covid lockdown by three weeks until March 28 but easing some restrictions to allow non-essential shops and businesses to reopen in areas with low infection rates. After about nine hours of talks on Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the governors of the country’s 16 states agreed to the measures amid a … Read more
More than 90 per cent of severely ill coronavirus patients in Germany have a ‘migrant background’, a leading doctor has said, prompting claims that the government is turning a blind eye to the issue to avoid igniting a race row. Thomas Voshaar, the head doctor at a German lung hospital, said a survey of leading … Read more
A senior German immunologist has urged Angela Merkel to be vaccinated with the Oxford-AstraZeneca vaccine live on television. Carsten Watzl, secretary general of the German Society for Immunology, said the Chancellor of Germany should allow over-65’s to receive the AstraZeneca vaccine and suggested she lead by example. Officials fed doubts over the Oxford University researched jab’s effectiveness amid reports … Read more
Two contrasting public statements in the past few days tell you everything you need to know about the vaccination crisis engulfing the European Union. In Britain, the Queen took a clear lead by declaring that anyone hesitant to take the jab should think of others and not themselves. Chancellor Angela Merkel, meanwhile, told 83 million … Read more
German leaders rebel against Merkel’s strict lockdown and push ahead with easing restrictions amid woefully slow vaccine roll-out Angela Merkel warned Germany faces ‘third wave’ if lockdown lifted too quickly State leaders defied Merkel’s calls, allowing some businesses to open Merkel expected to meet regional heads on March 3 to discuss gradual easing of lockdown … Read more
Emmanuel Macron said last night he would take the Oxford/AstraZeneca vaccine despite previously rubbishing the jab – although he will likely have to wait until the summer under a faltering roll-out which has left France vulnerable to a third wave. Macron, 43, said that ‘in view of the latest scientific studies, the efficacy of the … Read more
German Chancellor Angela Merkel last night warned that new Covid variants risk a third wave of infections sweeping across the country which could provoke another national lockdown. Coronavirus cases have started to increase again in Germany with only four per cent of the public vaccinated, while Britons are already counting down the days to freedom … Read more
Germany’s biggest-selling newspaper has praised Britain’s vaccine success and Boris Johnson’s plans to lift the lockdown, with a front-page headline saying: ‘Dear Brits, we envy you!’. The article in Bild said the UK’s ‘successful’ vaccine programme had allowed the PM to promise a brighter future while Germany is ‘stuck in lockdown’ and Angela Merkel’s government … Read more
German health minister Jens Spahn is said to be ‘fighting for his career’ after overseeing a shambolic vaccine roll-out, clashing with Angela Merkel and failing to deliver on a promised rapid-testing scheme. Spahn, who only months ago was being feted by those marvelling at Germany’s early success against the pandemic, has seen his approval rating … Read more
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said that Germany is now in the third wave of the coronavirus pandemic, two sources told Reuters news agency. ‘We are now in the third wave,’ Merkel told lawmakers in her conservative party on Wednesday, according to two sources who attended the meeting. The chancellor is also said to have warned … Read more