Record of new infections also in our western neighbors. Authorities are considering mandatory vaccinations

On Wednesday, there were 164,000 jobs in Germany. new COVID-19 infections. This is the country's highest figure since the start of the pandemic. The German parliament is debating the possible introduction of mandatory vaccination.

The percentage of people vaccinated with at least one dose is about 75% in our neighbors across the Oder. This is less than in other Western European countries, such as France, Italy or Spain, where the percentages are 80%, 83% and 86% respectively. Moreover, the number of Germans vaccinated per day has dropped significantly.

The spectrum of proposals that the Bundestag will look at ranges from compulsory vaccinations for all adult residents of Germany, to compulsory vaccinations for people aged 50+, to limiting themselves to targeted education of the unvaccinated.

In the early stages of the pandemic, Germany was more successful than many other countries in reducing the number of cases, mainly due to effective case tracking and strict quarantine discipline. However, since the summer of 2021, the rise of vaccine skepticism and the deterioration of regional coordination of efforts have taken their toll, and public discontent has increased. The Omicron variant therefore had no difficulty in causing a sharp increase in the number of cases.

German opponents of compulsory vaccination say it violates the second article of the German constitution, which guarantees citizens control over their own bodies. A poll published on Wednesday by the Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung newspaper shows that the share of people who declare participation in protests against anti-coronavirus solutions has doubled in the last 12 months to as much as 12%.

Source: Reuters