Merkel admits Germany faces shortage of vaccines
GERMANY is facing a Covid-19 vaccine shortage and may not be able to secure sufficient stocks until July, Angela Merkel privately told her MPs this week.
The admission comes amid a shaky start to the vaccine roll-out across much of the continent after the European Commission failed to order enough doses.
The German government has publicly insisted it will be able to make up the shortfall, but it has emerged Ms Merkel this week told MPs from her Christian Democrat party that may not be possible until the summer.
“The question is: do we have enough vaccine at the moment?” Ms Merkel said on a conference call, according to details leaked to Bild newspaper.
“Quarters one and two will be critical. From the third quarter we will be more likely to have a surplus than a need,” she added.
Jens Spahn, the health minister, who said Germany would be able to vaccinate its entire population by the end of June, pledged the situation would improve.
Only about 750,000 people have been vaccinated so far in Germany, out of a total population of 83 million.
France had only vaccinated 190,000 people by Tuesday, with 20pc of care home staff reportedly unwilling to have the jab.
In Spain results are patchy but, at 788,000, Italy has vaccinated the second highest number of people in Europe after the UK. Of those, 616,000 were medical workers while 57,000 were care home residents.
Meanwhile, Portugal’s government ordered the country into lockdown yesterday, but with exceptions so a presidential election can go ahead on January 24.
Portugal has witnessed a record-breaking surge in confirmed Covid-19 cases since it eased restrictions for the Christmas holiday.
The Portuguese prime minister, António Costa, said the pandemic was “at its most dangerous point”.
The lockdown, starting tomorrow, will last at least a month, he said.