By NewsDesk  @infectiousdiseasenews

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn is confident that around 50 percent of Germans will be vaccinated at least once by the beginning of summer. Currently over 32 million people have already been vaccinated once and almost 11 million people have already been completely vaccinated. “The numbers make us confident,” he said before the federal press conference: “We are on the right track”.

Germany/CIA

But people should be pragmatic and patient. Because not everyone who wants to be vaccinated can get an appointment straight away. Therefore, people should have understanding and patience with the doctor’s offices and vaccination centers. “The 3rd wave has broken,” said Spahn. Vaccinate and take care of each other is the motto for the next few weeks. “Enjoy the holidays, but let’s be careful about it,” he said, referring to the weekend of Pentecost.

“My urgent appeal before Pentecost: The pandemic is not over yet. Enjoy the holidays, but stay cautious. Especially now that it won’t be long before vaccination will make a noticeable difference to the course of the pandemic.”

RKI President Lothar Wieler said the numbers were falling in Germany, but the number of cases was still too high. He hopes the deaths will soon decline too. With around 1,300 deaths per week, the numbers are currently still terribly high. According to current surveys by the RKI, the population’s willingness to vaccinate is very high: “Around 73% of respondents state that they definitely want to be vaccinated. And an additional 10% say that they are more likely to want to be vaccinated.”Listen to Outbreak News Interviews Podcast

The number of confirmed coronavirus cases in Germany increased by 7,082 to 3,642,244, data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases showed on Saturday. The reported death toll rose by 170 to 87,298.