Germany’s Spahn: Still expect 20% of population to be vaccinated by end-April

Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn said that he still expects 20% of the population to be vaccinated by end-April.

Germany has administered over 19.2 million vaccine doses but only 6.2% of its population has been fully inoculated, as of Tuesday.

His comments come after the country recorded nearly 30K new coronavirus infections on Thursday, the highest daily rise since January 8.

Earlier on, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) President Lothar Wieler said, “The situation in the hospitals is coming to a head, in some cases dramatically,” adding that the policymakers must take tough and urgent action to contain a third wave of the coronavirus.

Chancellor Angela Merkel has urged the parliament to grant the federal government temporary powers to enforce coronavirus lockdowns in areas with high infections.

Market reaction

EUR/USD is holding the higher ground, near the monthly highs of 1.1990 ahead of the US Retail Sales data. Investors digest the latest covid updates and vaccine news.