Covid-19 rages unabated in Germany, Merkel considers compulsory vaccination

The Angela Merkel-led German government is considering introducing compulsory vaccination along with a lockdown for the unvaccinated as Covid-19 infections rose to their highest levels since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic in 2020.

Currently, around 68% of Germany's population has been vaccinated with slow inoculation rates contributing to the rising number of cases. Germany's seven-day coronavirus incidence rate rose to the highest level since the pandemic began for the 14th consecutive day on Sunday, reaching 372.7 nationwide. This is a steep climb from 197.6 in December 2021, with some areas reporting 1000 and over. Hospitals in Geramany are already reporting a heavy influx of patients with beds in critical care filling up fast.

Bavarian State Premier Markus Soeder called for a quick decision to make COVID-19 vaccinations compulsory while Schleswig-Holstein State Premier Daniel Guenther said authorities should at least discuss such a step to increase the pressure on unvaccinated citizens reported Reuters.

Lothar Wieler, the head of the Robert Koch Institute, has said that the country has entered a "nationwide state of emergency," according to AP. He further stated that regular healthcare might not be possible in some parts of Germany as hospitals and intensive care wards have been overwhelmed with patients. Speaking to reporters in Berlin, Wieler warned that 'All of Germany is one big outbreak," as per the news agency.

As of November 21, the total number of COVID-19 cases in Germany has reached 5,341,332. The total number of fatalities reported due to coronavirus is 99,553. The number of people who have recovered from COVID-19 is 4,626,300 and the active cases in the country are 615,479.