Last week, the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab received the first authorisation in the European Union (EU) for adolescents…reports Asian Lite News.
Germany will lift its vaccination prioritisation scheme on June 7, making all citizens older than 12 years eligible to receive a Covid-19 jab, Minister of Health Jens Spahn announced.
The vaccination campaign in Germany “gained enormous speed” and the prioritisation would be lifted in order to “keep the momentum”, Spahn was quoted as saying at a press conference in Berlin on Wednesday.
So far, appointments for Covid-19 vaccinations in Germany were assigned in prioritisation groups, which were primarily based on citizens’ age, previous illnesses and occupation.
Last week, the BioNTech-Pfizer Covid jab received the first authorisation in the European Union (EU) for adolescents and the German government decided that children over the age of 12 years could sign up for vaccination.
Starting next week, company doctors will be more involved in Germany’s vaccination campaign and provided with around 700,000 doses of BioNTech/Pfizer in the first week alone, according to Spahn.
More than 15.6 million people in Germany have been fully vaccinated till date, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 18.8 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
Almost 36.5 million Germans have already received at least one dose of a vaccine.
“Those who support terrorism will not be safe in Germany,” Seehofer’s spokesman quoted him as saying on Twitter…reports Asian Lite News.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer has banned three organisations known to have collected money for projects of the Lebanese Shiite movement Hezbollah in Germany.
The bans on German Lebanese Family, People for People and Give Peace had already been pronounced on April 15, a ministry spokesman said on Wednesday.
Raids were carried out and offices were searched in Bremen, Hesse, Hamburg, Lower Saxony, North Rhine Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein and Rhineland-Palatinate, DPA reported.
German Interior Minister Horst Seehofer banned the Islamist organization Ansaar International and several of its sub-organizations on suspicion of financing terrorist groups abroad.https://t.co/TyE1kvbUpl
“Those who support terrorism will not be safe in Germany,” Seehofer’s spokesman quoted him as saying on Twitter.
“Regardless of the garb in which his supporters appear, they will not find a place of retreat in our country,” added the Minister, who is currently in quarantine at home after infected with Covid.
The three banned groups are said to have collected donations and arranged sponsorships for Hezbollah “martyred families.”
The aim of the organizations was to promote Hezbollah’s fight against Israel, which goes against the idea of international understanding, the ministry said.
The certainty that the bereaved would receive financial support in the event of their death increases the willingness of young Hezbollah supporters to take part in the fight against Israel.
In March last year, Germany banned ban Hezbollah activity on its soil.
Germany’s domestic intelligence agency estimates that there are about 1,050 Hezbollah members and supporters currently in the country.
They do not comprise an official organization in Germany, but work unofficially, doing fundraising, among other activities, according to security officials.
Meanwhile, the German government has condemned the recent anti-Israel rallies staged across the country in the wake of ongoing violence in the Gaza Strip, and vowed to ramp up protection for Jewish institutions.
Government spokesperson Steffen Seibert said on Friday that peaceful demonstrations against Israel’s policies were allowed in Germany, “but anyone who uses such protests to shout out their hatred of Jews is abusing the right to protest”, dpa news agency reported.
“Anti-Semitic rallies will not be tolerated by our democracy,” he added.
Those who protest in front of a synagogue and damage Jewish symbols were not criticising a state, but showed “aggression and hatred against a religion and those who belong to it,” Seibert stressed.
“We oppose this with all the strength of a democratic constitutional state.”
Terrorism.
In recent days, police have intervened at anti-Israel rallies and boosted their presence at synagogues throughout the country after several instances of vandalism and the burning of Israeli flags.
Seibert said the authorities were working with the utmost commitment to solve the crimes, punish the perpetrators and protect Jewish institutions.
Earlier, the Israeli ambassador to Germany, Jeremy Issacharoff, called on the authorities to ensure the safety of the Jewish community.
The government’s anti-Semitism commissioner, Felix Klein, also asked Islamic associations in Germany to stand up against violence.
Geisel condemned the throwing of bottles and rocks, the burning barricades on the streets and especially the violence toward police…reports Asian Lite News
At least 93 police officers were injured and 354 protesters were detained after traditional May Day rallies in Berlin turned violent, the city’s top security official said Sunday.
More than 20 different rallies took place in the German capital on Saturday and the vast majority of them were peaceful. However, a leftist march of 8,000 people through the city’s Neukoelln and Kreuzberg neighborhood, which has seen clashes in past decades, turned violent. Protesters threw bottles and rocks at officers, and burned garbage cans and wooden pallets in the streets.
“Violence against police officers and a blind, destructive rage has nothing to do with political protest,” Berlin state interior minister Andreas Geisel said.
Geisel condemned the throwing of bottles and rocks, the burning barricades on the streets and especially the violence toward police.
“The high number of injured officer leaves me stunned. I wish all of those who were injured in the line of duty a quick recovery,” he said.
There’s a nightly curfew in most parts of Germany because of the high number of coronavirus infections, but political protests and religious gatherings are exempt from the curfew.
Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen in Berlin, capital of Germany
In France, May Day marches in Paris and the southern city of Lyon were also marred by scattered violence, with riot officers targeted by small groups of violent demonstrators who tossed projectiles and trash bins. Police made 56 arrests — 46 of them in Paris, the Interior Ministry said Sunday. It said six officers suffered injuries, three of them in Paris.
The CGT labor union that organized the main Paris march said violent demonstrators also targeted its marchers at the end of the rally, showering them with projectiles, blows and homophobic, sexist and racist insults. The union said 21 of its participants were injured, four seriously.
Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic,” Merkel was quoted as saying, Xinhua news agency reported…reports Asian Lite News.
People around the world is on a continuous fight against the pandemic. German Chancellor Angela Merkel received on Friday her first dose of AstraZeneca Covid-19 vaccine, she announced via government spokesman Steffen Seibert on Twitter.
Kanzlerin #Merkel heute im #Bundestag: Alleine können Ärzte und Pfleger den Kampf gegen das Virus in der dritten Welle nicht gewinnen. Sie brauchen die Unterstützung von Staat, Politik, Gesellschaft – von uns allen. pic.twitter.com/lPYs92qIwC
“I am delighted to have received my first vaccination with AstraZeneca today. I thank everyone involved in the vaccination campaign — and everyone who gets vaccinated. Vaccination is the key to overcoming the pandemic,” Merkel was quoted as saying, Xinhua news agency reported.
The AstraZeneca vaccine is now only recommended for people aged over 60 in Germany. Its use for younger people remained optional at doctors’ discretion for people without an increased risk of blood clots. The chancellor is 66 years old and thus falls into the group of those eligible for AstraZeneca vaccine in Germany.
Over three and a half months after the start of the Covid-19 vaccination program in Germany, more than 5.3 million people had been fully vaccinated as of Thursday, bringing the country’s vaccination rate to 6.4 percent, according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the federal government agency for disease control and prevention.
As of Thursday, a total of 20,744,105 vaccine doses had been administered in Germany as the country recently stepped up its vaccination campaign. Starting from last week, vaccine shots are not only administered at national vaccination centers and by mobile teams, but also available at general practitioners (GPs).
Pedestrians wearing face masks are seen in Berlin, capital of Germany
“If the numbers of seriously ill Covid-19 patients exceed those experienced during the second wave, we will be in a critical situation,” said a German official…reports Asian Lite News
Germany’s largest university hospital, Berlin’s Charite, has sounded the alarm over the country’s worsening third wave of coronavirus infections.
“If the numbers of seriously ill Covid-19 patients exceed those experienced during the second wave, we will be in a critical situation,” said Martin Kreis, a board member at Charite, DPA news agency reported.
At the beginning of the year, the number of severe Covid-19 cases in Charite’s intensive care units reached its absolute limit. The hospital was unable to accept patients from other parts of Germany as a result.
“We will continue to do everything in our power to care for patients from the Berlin area,” said Kreis.
The number of people entering intensive care units at Charite has increased significantly over the past two weeks, with the 30-60 age group particularly badly affected because they are less likely to have received a vaccination.
Though most of the hospital’s workforce is now vaccinated, but many are suffering from exhaustion and trauma over the many coronavirus-related deaths, Kreis said.
Germany is battling a third wave of infections driven mainly by the British variant of the virus.
The Robert Koch Institute for disease control said Saturday that 24,097 cases and 246 deaths had been registered within 24 hours. The seven-day incidence figure per 100,000 inhabitants stood at 120.6.
A health worker looks at a vial of AstraZeneca's coronavirus vaccine at a vaccination centre
People under 60 should be able to receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation…reports Asian Lite News
Germany’s federal and health ministers have agreed to limit the general use of AstraZeneca’s Covid-19 vaccine to people over age 60 starting Wednesday, citing concerns about blood clots.
People under 60 should be able to receive the shot, but only “at the discretion of doctors, and after individual risk analysis and thorough explanation,” according to the decision by the health ministers accessed by DPA news agency on Tuesday.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn and the 16 state health ministers came to the decision in an emergency meeting, after authorities in the cities of Berlin and Munich decided to suspend the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 60.
Spahn said that while it was a setback in one sense for the AstraZeneca vaccine to be an increased risk for a certain age group, it also meant more people over 60 could be vaccinated more quickly.
“In that respect, I can really just expressly ask all people over 60 to take advantage of this vaccination offer,” Spahn said.
Germany’s vaccine commission issued a corresponding recommendation for AstraZeneca’s use, due to data on “rare, but very severe thromboembolic side effects” that had predominantly been observed in people under 60 in the four to 16 days after vaccination.
The side effects concerned blood clots in cerebral veins, especially observed among younger women.
Chancellor Angela Merkel justified the new age restrictions by saying that they helped to ensure confidence in coronavirus vaccines.
“Trust comes from the knowledge that every suspicion, every single case will be looked into,” said Merkel in Berlin after consultations with the country’s 16 state premiers. Openness and transparency are the best ways to deal with such a situation, the chancellor added.
Earlier, the Paul Ehrlich Institute, a medical regulatory body, said there had been 31 cases of cerebral thrombosis that were suspected to have occurred after administration of the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Nine of those cases resulted in the death of patients, the institute said. All except two occurred in women between ages 20 and 63.
Earlier on Tuesday, several state and city authorities already suspended the use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for anyone under the age of 60, citing new data on suspected side effects.
Berlin Health Senator Dilek Kalayci announced the move and referred to it as a “precautionary measure.” She said Berlin authorities would wait for the outcome of talks at the federal level.
The Charite and Vivantes hospitals in the capital had suspended AstraZeneca jabs until further notice for women under the age of 55.
“From Charite’s point of view, this step is necessary, since further cerebral vein thromboses in women in Germany have become known,” Charite spokesperson Manuela Zingl said.
In the western state of North Rhine Westphalia, the heads of five of the six university hospitals also spoke out in favour of a temporary halt of AstraZeneca vaccinations for younger women.
The risk of further deaths is too high, according to a joint letter to the federal and state health ministers seen by dpa.
Authorities in the southern German city of Munich also suspended use of the AstraZeneca vaccine for people under the age of 60.
“Due to current developments, the city has decided, like Berlin, to suspend vaccinations with AstraZeneca for people under 60 as a precautionary measure until the question of possible complications for this group of people has been clarified,” a spokesperson said.
Germany and numerous other countries had temporarily suspended the use of AstraZeneca in March because several cases of thrombosis (blood clots) in the cerebral veins were reported.
The vaccine was deemed safe again for use shortly thereafter.
“This mistake is mine and mine alone,” stressed Merkel. As chancellor, she said she was ready to take the ultimate responsibility…reports Asian Lite News.
Celebrations amid pandemic is really tough to the common people and to the authority too. The planned hard Covid-19 lockdown over the Easter holidays in Germany that was only agreed has been cancelled, Chancellor Angela Merkel announced after calling a press conference at short notice.
Although a complete shutdown in Germany next week was originally announced with “the best of intentions” in order to slow down and reverse the third wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, the idea was a “mistake”, Merkel said on Wednesday, Xinhua news agency reported.
According to the chancellor, a complete five-day lockdown over the Easter holidays could not be properly implemented. Far too many questions — from the continued payment of wages due to lost working hours to the situation in stores and businesses — could not be resolved “in such a short time”.
“This mistake is mine and mine alone,” stressed Merkel. As chancellor, she said she was ready to take the ultimate responsibility. “A mistake has to be named as a mistake, and above all, it must be corrected, and if possible in time.”
Merkel said she regretted that the announcement on Tuesday caused additional uncertainty and apologised to all German citizens. “I am deeply convinced that we will defeat the virus together,” stressed Merkel. “The path is difficult and rocky; it is marked by successes but also by mistakes and setbacks.”
Prior to her public announcement, Merkel unexpectedly invited the minister-presidents of Germany’s federal states to a virtual meeting. On April 12, Merkel and the minister presidents are scheduled to meet again to decide the country’s next steps.
Passengers wearing face masks are seen at Cologne Bonn Airport in Cologne, Germany
Officials confirmed that an “emergency brake” is the need of the hour amid steep hike in Covid-19 cases…reports Asian Lite News
German Chancellor Angela Merkel will join state leaders on Monday to discuss whether a return to a harder lockdown is needed after the country surpassed a key threshold in coronavirus infection numbers.
Despite hopes for more lockdown relaxations in time for the Easter holiday weekend, which falls at the start of April this year, Germany is likely to halt its plans for reopenings after the seven-day incidence of new infections passed the critical benchmark on Sunday, reports dpa news agency.
Officials previously agreed to use an “emergency brake” and renew restrictions if the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants during the course of a week exceeded the threshold of 100 for three consecutive days.
On Sunday, this seven-day incidence figure rose to 103.9.
Government officials and state leaders, speaking online, are also set to debate the possibility of at least allowing citizens to travel to holiday homes in their own state during the Easter holidays.
As of Monday morning, Germany has reported 2,670,001 coronavirus cases and 74,715 deaths.
Blinken has slammed the Nord Stream as a Russian project intended to divide Europe.
Nord Stream 2 is a “bad deal for Germany, for Ukraine, and for our Central and Eastern European allies and partners”, said Blinken…reports Asian Lite News
The US government has threatened new sanctions against companies involved in the Nord Stream 2 gas pipeline, urging them to pull out of the German-Russian project.
The US State Department “reiterates its warning that any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline risks US sanctions and should immediately abandon work on the pipeline”, said Secretary of State Antony Blinken in a statement on Thursday.
He added that the Department is tracking efforts to complete the pipeline and “evaluating information regarding entities that appear to be involved” in the project.
The Biden administration has made clear the Nord Stream 2 is a bad deal. We continue to monitor activity and warn any entity involved in the Nord Stream 2 pipeline will risk sanctions. We are committed to complying with the Congressional legislation in this regard.
The Secretary of State pointed to sanctions legislation passed by Congress against the project and said President Joe Biden would comply with it.
So far, the US has only imposed sanctions on the Russian company KVT-RUS, which operates the pipe-laying vessel Fortuna.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel with Russian President Vladimir Putin
The measures were announced by former President Donald Trump’s administration shortly before the end of its term in January.
US officials argue the pipeline, which is supposed to transport 55 billion cubic metres of natural gas from Russia to Germany once a year trhough the Baltic Sea, will make Europe too dependent on Russian energy supplies.
Supporters of the gas pipeline, on the other hand, have long accused the US of undermining the project in order to increase sales of their liquid gas in Europe.
