(dpa) The percentage of adults in Germany who have received a booster vaccine against the coronavirus has risen to 47.6 per cent, according to data released on Wednesday by the nation’s disease control body.
So far, almost 33.4 million booster doses have been administered, including around 480,000 on Tuesday alone, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) said.
The third jab is considered one of the most effective tools against the Omicron variant of the virus, which is more transmissible than Delta.
Currently, 71.4 per cent of the entire German population have received the basic course of coronavirus vaccination, which for most people will have meant two jabs.
Some 74.3 per cent of the population have had at least one dose. The German government has set itself a goal of reaching 80 per cent by the end of January, after postponing its original target date of January 7.
Germany is facing a lack of comparable data on the coronavirus due to a lag in testing and reporting over the festive season.
However, it is clear that Omicron is gaining ground in the country and policymakers are discussing possible responses to an expected surge in cases, such as shortening the mandatory isolation period for people who test positive.
So far, 42,556 cases of the variant have been confirmed, the RKI said on Wednesday. That was a rise of 7,027 cases – or 20 per cent – on the previous day.
On Wednesday, 58,912 new cases of coronavirus infection were reported and 346 deaths. A week ago, those figures stood at 40,043 and 414.