After the murder in Idar-Oberstein, Interior Minister Seehofer warns of a radicalization of the “lateral thinkers” movement. France doubles its vaccine donations to poorer countries. The developments in the live blog.
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Müller calls for better vaccine distribution
Development Minister Gerd Müller has warned of increasing disadvantages in poor countries when it comes to corona vaccines. “Rich countries have bought additional vaccines from the world market to make third-party vaccinations possible, while over 90 percent of Africans did not even have the first vaccination,” he told the newspapers of the Funke media group.
Müller affirmed: “We must not get into a situation in which the rich countries are buying empty the market and hoarding vaccines, while nothing is left for the poor countries.” The goal of the international vaccine initiative Covax of making two billion vaccine doses available to people in poor countries by the end of the year can no longer be achieved, criticized Müller. So far, only around 300 million vaccine doses have been distributed by Covax.
The EU states have promised 248 million cans, but have only given 20 million cans so far. “Worldwide there are 100 million cans that are about to expire and need to be vaccinated quickly,” warned the minister. Müller also made the manufacturers responsible, who would have to change their delivery policy. “Manufacturers should finally prefer Covax for deliveries.”
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Seehofer warns against radicalization of the “lateral thinkers” movement
After the fatal shot in a dispute over the mask requirement in Idar-Oberstein, Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer warns of a radicalization of the “lateral thinkers” movement in Germany. “The group of lateral thinkers is getting smaller and smaller, but unfortunately also more and more radical and brutal,” said Seehofer of “Bild am Sonntag”. The politically motivated violence in Germany by lateral thinkers is dangerous for the country. “They can decompose our country if the rule of law does not fight them with all possible means,” said the CSU politician.
Seehofer demanded that “the perpetrators and those who support crimes such as those in Idar-Oberstein” should be severely punished. A 49-year-old German is accused of having shot a 20-year-old cashier in the gas station in Idar-Oberstein. The young man had previously advised him of the mask requirement. After his arrest, the perpetrator said, according to investigators, that he rejects the corona measures.
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France wants to double vaccine donations
France wants to donate twice as many corona vaccine doses to poorer countries as previously planned. French President Emmanuel Macron announced at the global music festival “Global Citizen Live” that his country would make 120 million cans available. He described it as an “injustice” that the vaccination campaign is running much slower on other continents than in Europe. “We have to act faster and more resolutely,” stressed Macron in his video message.
The US announced on Wednesday that it would provide another 500 million vaccine doses for poorer countries. The US government increased its commitments for vaccine donations to a total of 1.1 billion doses. There are massive differences in the progress of vaccination campaigns around the world. While in Western Europe an average of more than 60 percent of the population is vaccinated, the vaccination rate for the age groups in question in Africa is just 3.6 percent.