BERLIN (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 19th February, 2021) German Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Friday that the country may see a deficit of rapid COVID-19 tests beginning on March 1, which is when free distribution among the population starts, but that high demand is a positive sign of public engagement.
On Tuesday, Spahn announced that Germany would start to distribute COVID-19 express tests for free in a bid to contain the spread of the virus.
"I want to say today that, as always, when something is delivered for free to everyone, queues are possible in the beginning. A deficit is possible at the local level. I want to prepare everyone for this, which is primarily a good sign that shows that the request has been accepted. But when we distribute something, whether it is protective masks or vaccines against flu, demand is especially high in the beginning," Spahn said at a news conference in Berlin.
The minister noted that the vaccination campaign in Germany has gained momentum and the country would receive 10 million doses of COVID-19 vaccines by the end of next week.
"The volume of supplies is always increasing. Until the end of the next week, Germany will receive 10 million doses of the vaccine. At the moment, five million doses have already been used in Germany," Spahn said.
The minister stressed that it was too early to lift COVID-19 related restrictions, despite the decreasing rate of new infections, given that Germany has a high number of new coronavirus strains in circulation.
"The virus does not give up, we clearly see it ... [there is] a growing number of infections with virus mutations in Germany ... The need to remove the lockdown is great but it is necessary to act carefully not to lose what has been achieved," the health minister said.
Like many European countries, Germany launched its vaccination campaign in late December and since then has vaccinated 3.7 percent of the population with one shot and 1.9 percent with both shots.
The country has confirmed 2,360,606 COVID-19 cases, with 66,698 deaths. On Thursday, Germany registered 10,207 new infections, according to the Robert Koch Institute.
