In Germany, deputies vote against compulsory vaccination for people over 60

German Chancellor’s Promise I’ve been stuck for months. Olaf Schultz’s government failed, Thursday, April 7, in the parliament’s vote to adhere to the vaccination against Covid-19 -19 from the age of 60. The bill received 296 votes but was rejected by 378 deputies. Nine members of the lower house of the German parliament abstained from the vote.

The contempt is significant for Angela Merkel’s successor, who spoke in the fall about the compulsory vaccination of all adults, who promised to Late February or early March. But the new Social Democratic chancellor was unable to include all three parties in his government coalition, which brings together social democrats, environmentalists and liberals, nor the conservative opposition.

The infection rate is still high in Germany

Although the bill was partially emptied of its substance, with an obligation reserved only for those over sixty, the government was not able to unite around its proposed majority in the Bundestag. The topic is thorny in Germany, where the anti-vaccination movement is mobilizing strongly. Liberals in the Free Democratic Party, in particular, have for months rejected the idea of ​​a commitment to vaccination.

And several media outlets reported that the chancellor, who has been criticized for his discretion and lack of leadership, drew mockery on Thursday by forcing the head of diplomacy, Annalena Birbock, to leave a NATO meeting in Brussels on Ukraine to participate in the vote.

The health situation continues to deteriorate in Germany, which has recorded more than 200,000 new cases every twenty-four hours in recent days. The seven-day infection rate exceeds 1,200 SARS-CoV-2 infections per 100,000 population. About 76% of the population received two doses of the vaccine. According to the Robert Koch Institute, only 58.9% of Germans have received a booster dose against the virus.