The WHO failed to point out that this is a post-vaccine wave of COVID-19 cases brought about by the vaccines. Most of Europe, especially Western Europe where the new outbreak is spreading, has high rates of vaccination.
In Germany, the country reported almost 34,000 new COVID-19 cases on Thursday, Nov. 4. The very next day, Germany broke its record again after reporting 37,120 new infections. Sixty-seven percent of Germany is fully vaccinated, and another three percent are partially vaccinated.
"We are, once again, at the epicenter," said WHO Europe Director Hans Kluge. He warned that according to the WHO's projections, Europe's current trajectory would mean "another half a million COVID-19 deaths" by February.
The post-vaccine surge in Germany comes as the country is currently in a state of political limbo following the September general election that saw the conservatives ousted from power.
The outgoing government has blamed the current outbreak on the unvaccinated and has signaled its willingness to impose restrictions just on those who continue to refuse to get vaccinated. (Related: NO JAB, NO FOOD: Hessen, Germany, says grocery stores can discriminate against the unvaccinated.)
Current Minister of Health Jens Spahn called the current outbreak a "massive" pandemic of the unvaccinated.
Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel has called the current post-vaccine outbreak "very worrying" and has called on tougher restrictions that specifically target the unvaccinated.
Spahn has also called for stricter measures, including requiring proof of vaccination to enter private businesses.
Germany approves booster doses six months after full vaccination
On Friday, Nov. 5, Spahn approved a plan that will force Germans to get booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine six months after becoming fully vaccinated.
Spahn added that Germany's 16 regional health ministers have all agreed to require booster shots. "This should become the norm, not the exception," he said.
"It is important to break the momentum" of infections, said Bavarian Minister of Health Klaus Holetschek. He agreed that booster shots should be available to everyone six months after getting fully vaccinated.
As of press time, Germany has already administered nearly 2.2 million booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine, covering about 2.6 percent of the population.
Along with requiring booster vaccines, Spahn also unveiled plans to keep lockdown in place. These new plans include mandatory COVID-19 tests for employees and visitors of nursing homes and other long-term care homes, regardless of vaccination status or natural immunity to COVID-19.
Three states – Baden-Wurttemberg, Bavaria and Saxony – have already agreed to introduce harsher restrictions that target the unvaccinated, including rules that exclude them from businesses like nightclubs and bars.
Spahn said the government is also planning to go after those who are skeptical about the rushed, experimental and dangerous vaccines and those who he claims lied about or downplayed the severity of the coronavirus.
"Anyone who says the virus is not that bad, is hesitant or uncertain about getting vaccinated as well as anyone who believes that they are young, healthy, invulnerable should speak to health staff, particularly those in intensive care stations," he said.
Other federal and regional authorities in Germany are appealing for unvaccinated German residents to get vaccinated, claiming that the pressure on hospitals is rising. They claim this is only occurring in regions where vaccination rates are relatively lower than the national average.
Learn more about the post-vaccine COVID-19 outbreaks in Europe and other parts of the world by reading the latest articles at Vaccines.news.
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