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Berlin, March 3 (IANS) More than two months after the start of the coronavirus vaccination program in Germany, almost 2.16 million people received the second jab, bringing the country's vaccination rate to 2.6 per cent, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) announced.
People over 80 years of age and employees in medical professions were among the first to receive a vaccination, Xinhua news agency reported on Tuesday.
The immunization campaign in Germany was showing "first successes," said Minister of Health Jens Spahn at a press conference Friday. The risk of getting Covid-19 had been "significantly reduced for our most elderly citizens."
Vaccination capacities across the country were being continually expanded, according to Spahn. Doctors' practices would soon be included in the vaccination campaign on a regular basis.
Germany remains in a Covid-19 lockdown which will last until at least March 7. Strict contact restrictions apply and non-essential shops, restaurants and leisure facilities are closed. However, there have been first opening steps as hairdressers were allowed to open on Monday.
On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the minister presidents of the federal states are scheduled to meet to discuss the next steps in the country's Covid-19 response.
A draft paper for the meeting called for an extension of the lockdown in Germany until March 28. At the same time, there were proposals for gradual openings, German media reported.
Germany registered 3,943 new Covid-19 infections within one day on Tuesday which was slightly above the previous week's level, according to the RKI. The national incidence rate of reported cases within seven days per 100,000 inhabitants declined slightly to 65.4, still well above earlier benchmarks for relaxations.
--IANS
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