BERLIN (Reuters) – The light is at the end of the tunnel and “we will defeat this virus,” German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the Germans on Thursday, just a day after she asked the country to forgive its U-turn on an Easter lock switch.
Merkel’s decision on Wednesday to drop plans for an extended Easter break to try to break a third wave of COVID-19, agreed two days earlier during talks with the governors of the 16 German states, has raised concerns that he lost control of the crisis.
In a firm 27-minute address to lawmakers on Thursday, she acknowledged how difficult many people’s lives are, but urged them to think positively, arguing that vaccinations offer a way out of the crisis.
“It will take a few more months, but the light at the end of the tunnel is visible. We will defeat this virus! He told lawmakers in the lower house of the Bundestag.
“It is now a matter of gathering strength and advancing positively, even if the situation is difficult at the moment. That’s what I want from everyone in this country, “Merkel said with loud applause.
Germany reported another 22,657 infections on Thursday, while the death toll rose 228 to 75,440. Deaths have dropped since the beginning of the year, when vaccinations did not begin, but admissions to intensive care units are rising and the incidence of the seven-day case is now 113, compared to 90 a week ago.
Merkel addressed the Bundestag on Thursday ahead of a summit of EU leaders, at which she said they would discuss how to ensure that more vaccines are made on European soil.
The European Commission has threatened to ban exports to countries such as the United Kingdom that have higher vaccination rates but do not export photos to the EU. The aim is to protect the supply of the bloc’s own citizens, as they face a third wave of pandemics.
“British production sites produce in the UK, and the United States does not export, so we rely on what we can do in Europe,” Merkel said.
“We have to assume that the virus, with its mutations, could take us a long time, so the question goes far beyond this year,” she added.
Britain and the European Commission said on Wednesday they were discussing how they could work together to create a “win-win” situation for COVID-19 vaccines after the bloc threatened to take tougher measures to limit exports of COVID-19 vaccines. fires.
Ahead of the EU summit, Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Soeder backed calls for control of vaccine exports from Europe.
“The export of European vaccines to countries that produce vaccines themselves and do not supply anything to Europe must be banned,” he wrote on Twitter.
Reporting by Paul Carrel; Edited by Riham Alkousaa and Catherine Evans