Germany is organizing a special week-long vaccination drive to increase uptake amid concerns about declining demand for COVID-19 shots.
The government said Tuesday that vaccinations will be offered without appointments at easily accessible sites such as sports clubs, fire stations and pharmacies during the week of Sept. 13-19.
The locations will be listed on a national website and promoted on social media with the hashtag “Hier wird geimpft,” meaning “Vaccinations offered here," reported The Associated Press.
Chancellor Angela Merkel has said Germany wants 75% of the population to be immunized against the coronavirus, but so far only 60% of the population has received all the necessary shots.
“The issue in Germany isn’t that we’ve got too little vaccine but that we have to convince as many people as possible to get vaccinated,” Merkel said. “Sadly, we’re not in the top ranks in Europe with our vaccination rate.”
