German infection rate at 2-month low, vaccinations speed up
BERLIN (AP) — Germany's coronavirus infection rate dropped to its lowest level in nearly two months on Friday, while the health minister said the country had the most successful day yet of its vaccination campaign this week.
Still, Jens Spahn called for caution as authorities move toward allowing a more normal life, urging officials to hold off on fully reopening restaurants and calling for Germans to choose vacation destinations carefully.
The national disease control center, the Robert Koch Institute, said the number of weekly new cases per 100,000 inhabitants stood at 96.5, the first time since March 20 it has been under 100. There are still considerable variations between regions, many of which are still subject to an overnight curfew and other rules that kick in when an area's weekly infections top 100 per 100,000 people.
At the same time, Germany's vaccination campaign, which was much criticized for a slow start, is accelerating. Spahn said 1.35 million shots were administered on Wednesday, the highest one-day total so far. There were 408,260 on Thursday, a holiday.
Germany has now given at least one dose to nearly 29.9 million people, or 35.9% of its population. And 8.8 million people, or 10.6%, are now fully vaccinated.
The improving situation is raising hopes of restaurants, for example, reopening after months of closures. However, Spahn stressed the need for caution, saying that activities outdoors can be allowed but appealing for regional authorities to wait until weekly new cases drop below 50 per 100,000 residents before reopening indoor parts of restaurants.
“We must all take great care ... to secure what has been achieved and not want too much too quickly, because that could backfire,” Spahn said during a visit to a vaccine storage and distribution...
