Germany’s health minister has warned that by the end of this winter “pretty much everyone” in Germany “will have been vaccinated, recovered or died”.

Jens Spahn urged Germans to get vaccinated amid a rapid rise in COVID cases.

Official figures showed more than 30,000 new coronavirus cases in Germany in the last 24-hour period, an increase of about 50% compared to a week ago.

Hospitals have warned that intensive care capacities are nearly exhausted, with some patients being transferred to clinics some distance away.

Mr Spahn urged Germans to get the jab, including booster shots if their first round of inoculation occurred more than six months ago, to reduce the risk of serious illness.

“By the end of this winter pretty much everyone in Germany will have been vaccinated, recovered or died,” he said.

He acknowledged that some had described this view as cynical.

COVID-19: Children as young as five could get jab in spring, according to leaked plan reports

‘Hidden pandemic’: Experts warn of surge in antibiotic-resistance infections after COVID

Sobering thoughts: Dispelling the myth of a functioning alcoholic

“But it’s true. With the highly contagious Delta variant, this is very, very likely and that’s why we are recommending vaccination so urgently.”

Mr Spahn said around 50 million doses of the Moderna and BioNtech/Pfizer vaccines would be made available for the rest of the year to allow people to get first, second or third doses.

Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player

To achieve this, Germany was holding back tens of millions of doses, which were meant for poor countries.

Some politicians in Germany have suggested the country may need to consider compulsory vaccinations, like its neighbour Austria.

About 68% of Germany’s population has been fully vaccinated but the government has said it wants to push that rate above 75% to curb the spread of the virus, but a sizeable minority in the population has resisted calls to take the vaccine.

Karl Lauterbach, a prominent politician with the centre-left Social Democrats, called for a “radical” application of rules requiring people to present vaccination or recovery certificates to access some shops and public places.

Follow the Daily podcast on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, Spotify, Spreaker

“A general vaccine mandate (shouldn’t be) taboo either,” he wrote on Twitter.

Bavaria’s conservative governor, Markus Soeder, said on Monday that he also favoured mandatory vaccines for all.

But a spokesman for outgoing German chancellor Angela Merkel made clear that her government had no plans to tackle the controversial issue of vaccine mandates.

Related posts:

How EU nations are trying to plot route out of lockdown – as Germany ‘declares third wave’ How many vaccines has each G7 country pledged to poorer nations? Moderna and Pfizer jabs linked to mild heart inflammation but ‘benefits still outweigh risks’ Chris Eubank ‘devastated’ after son Sebastian found dead days before 30th birthday Fire breaks out at Andorra’s home stadium a day before England’s World Cup qualifier Little power, petrol or even paracetamol – it’s a wonder there isn’t open conflict in Lebanon Boy, 12, dies after car he was driving crashed into a lorry in Ireland Eight killed as police hunt for gang in Rio favela turns deadly Afghans to get billions to fund humanitarian relief from assets frozen in US Two journalists held in Afghanistan by Taliban released Police move in on truckers protesting at US-Canada border after injunction issued What are the Minsk agreements and why they could help avert a Russian invasion