Merkel urges Germans to get vaccinated in her latest video podcast | News from Germany about Germany

In her latest video podcast as head of the German government, Angela Merkel once again warned German residents about the difficult weeks ahead due to the COVID-19 pandemic and called for joint efforts. “In the midst of the fourth wave of the pandemic, we found ourselves in a very serious situation, in some parts of our country it can only be called dramatic,” the acting director said. Chancellor on Saturday, December 4, urging fellow citizens to be vaccinated.

“It doesn’t matter if it’s the first vaccination or the second. Every vaccine helps,” Merkel said. “The highest possible level of vaccination will help all of us as a country overcome the pandemic.” She referred to the overcrowded intensive care units being forced to reschedule the treatment of critically ill patients, and “an appallingly large number of people who have been killed by the virus.”

“Unfortunately, we have several more difficult weeks ahead of us, which we can only overcome by joint efforts,” she said. chancellor. At the same time, Merkel thanked everyone who in “these difficult times” showed prudence and adhered to the rules: “You are the overwhelming majority in our country.”

By her own calculations, Angela Merkel herself, since June 2006, has addressed the people of Germany more than 600 times in her video podcast. On Wednesday, December 8, the Bundestag is to elect Olaf Scholz as her successor as German Chancellor.

The head of the medical chamber for compulsory vaccination, but against compulsory

Klaus Reinhardt, President of the Federal Medical Chamber (BÄK), advocates compulsory vaccinations, but warns against coercion. “We are talking about compulsory vaccinations, not compulsory vaccinations. Nobody should be compulsorily vaccinated,” he said in an interview with the Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung newspaper. However, in his opinion, those who do not comply with mandatory vaccinations should expect noticeable restrictions on participation in public and commercial life.

Coronavirus spread statistics in Germany

Over the past day in Germany, according to the Robert Koch Institute, 64,510 new cases of coronavirus infection have been recorded, and the total number of cases of infection registered since the beginning of the pandemic is more than 6 million. 378 patients have died in the past 24 hours. The seven-day rate of infection with the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus has slightly increased: to 442.7 per 100 thousand population (the day before it was 442.1).

The number of hospitalized patients with coronavirus per 100 thousand inhabitants for seven days as of December 3 was 5.52. In mid-November, the German authorities recognized this indicator as the most important criterion for the introduction of anti-coronavirus restrictions. The maximum value for the entire time of the pandemic – about 15.5 per 100 thousand of the population – the seven-day occupancy rate of clinics reached in the Christmas period of 2020.

See also:

Multifaceted Merkel
Euro or whip?
In 2011, at the height of the European debt crisis, the Spanish satirical magazine El Jueves portrayed the German Chancellor as a domina. “Brand or whip?” she asks Mariano Rajoy, who at that time served as head of the Spanish government. “How it goes,” he whimpers back. In a cartoon, the magazine wanted to say that the conditions for Spain’s financial assistance were too strict.

Multifaceted Merkel
Comparison with Hitler
Greece also found itself at the epicenter of the European debt crisis. The country could not survive without financial assistance. Angela Merkel promised assistance, but in return demanded austerity measures. The Greek press, such as the daily newspaper Demokratie of February 9, 2012, draws parallels with the German occupation of Greece during World War II.

Multifaceted Merkel
Merkel in a concentration camp
Allusions to the “Third Reich” also appear in Polish newspapers. In 2013, the right-wing weekly Uwazam Rze portrayed Merkel as a concentration camp prisoner. The occasion was a German television film about the events of World War II. In Poland, it was perceived as a violation of historical truth how the Polish Home Army was shown in the film and how the Germans were presented.

Multifaceted Merkel
Pokerface in Beijing
An impenetrable face and a piercing gaze – this is how Angela Merkel portrayed this Chinese magazine in December 2011, which speaks of a certain respect for the German Chancellor. The issue came out on the eve of Merkel’s visit to China, where she discussed China’s role in stabilizing the eurozone with Premier Wen Jiabao.

Multifaceted Merkel
Terminator Merkel
The image of an all-powerful politician is firmly stuck to Merkel. In June 2012, the British political magazine New Statesman portrayed the German Chancellor as the Terminator from the action movie of the same name with Arnold Schwarzenegger. According to the magazine, Merkel is the most dangerous German leader since Adolf Hitler – and more dangerous than rulers like Kim Jong-un.

Multifaceted Merkel
Kind Angela
In 2015, Merkel’s image changed dramatically. After Hungary refused to accept Syrian refugees and the threat of a humanitarian catastrophe arose, Merkel made a fateful decision: she opened the borders of Germany for refugees. Her phrase “We can handle it!” went down in history and brought Merkel great popularity, especially abroad.

Multifaceted Merkel
It’s a pity that not a Frenchwoman
The harsh image of Angela Merkel during the crisis of the European crisis is a thing of the past. Now the international press is highlighting her humanity. In 2015, the French magazine Le Point came out with the headline: “The incredible Madame Merkel. If only she were French …” and states her metamorphosis from “strict” to “generous” Madame.

Multifaceted Merkel
Chancellor of the Free World
In 2015, Time Magazine named Angela Merkel “Person of the Year” and named her “Chancellor of the Free World.” She uses her mercy as a weapon, the publication says. Northern Irish artist Colin Davidson, whose portrait of Merkel adorns the cover, tried to capture “the Chancellor’s dignity, mercy and humanity.”

Multifaceted Merkel
Deja vu from Poland
Compassion and humanity still refuse to see Polish media in Angela Merkel. The weekly magazine Wpros came out in January 2016 under the headline “They want to control Poland again”. The photomontage with the German Chancellor, surrounded by important EU representatives, such as the then European Commission President Juncker, resembles a historical photograph of Hitler and his retinue.

Multifaceted Merkel
A critical look from the inside
In Germany, Angela Merkel’s image has been significantly tarnished as a result of her stance on refugees. In the 2017 elections, her CDU party lost many votes in favor of the right-wing conservative AfD. The Germans began to discuss a Jamaica coalition that Christian parties with liberals and greens could form. This is how the pages of German newspapers and magazines looked at that time.

Multifaceted Merkel
End of an era
In the 2021 elections, Angela Merkel decided not to participate. She voluntarily leaves the political arena after 16 years at the head of the German government. In the press and in books you can often read about the end of the “era” now, as, for example, in the biography written by Ursula Weidenfeld.
Author: Bettina Bauman, Ella Volodina