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The message could not be clearer: The first away meeting with the Federal Minister of Health will be vaccinated.
On Friday, Karl Lauterbach visited a vaccination center in the Hanover Adventure Zoo.
There he himself vaccinated two children against the corona virus and thanked the young people who had been vaccinated for their courage.
Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health:
“You are an example for adults. I think that's really great. "
Lauterbach is a doctor and has worked in vaccination centers several times in the past.
His visit to “Vaccination at the Zoo”, an offer aimed primarily at children and young people, is no coincidence.
Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health:
“I have children of my own. I got to know and looked after many children in the pandemic and I find it touching and impressive the sacrifices children have been prepared to bear.
For that we have to give something back.
And the very least we have to give back is that we give children a vaccination offer too.
That's why I vaccinated two children myself, because as a vaccination doctor I am convinced that children who want to be vaccinated, with the consent of their parents, are doing themselves a favor, but also society. "
Lauterbach spoke of a "difficult situation" in Germany.
The Omikron variant will soon also establish itself in this country.
Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health:
“Unfortunately, the situation is still underestimated. We currently have a doubling time in England that doubles the number of Omicron cases every day or two. That's a development we've never seen in the entire pandemic. We cannot yet be exactly sure whether this variant is much milder than the original variant. So we really have to adjust to the situation. This is what we do."
The new health minister is continuing the strategy of his predecessor.
A massive booster campaign is intended to contain the infections with the Delta variant and delay the strengthening of the Omikron variant.
Karl Lauterbach, Federal Minister of Health:
“At the moment the numbers are going down overall. This is due to the fact that the Delta variant is declining, but we will not get the Omikron variant under control that way. Hence my appeal to the medical community to inoculate the Moderna vaccine. We still have enough of it. I'll get more. And we should boost as much as possible. "
Lauterbach admitted one obstacle the day before: it would be difficult to meet the demand in the coming months with the Germans' most popular vaccine, that of Biontech.
The vaccine from Moderna would be sufficiently available.