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Germany's Health Minister Says Nation In 'Hardest Phase of the Pandemic'

VOA News

   German Health Minister Jens Spahn told German lawmakers Wednesday the
   nation is in one of the hardest phases of the COVID-19 pandemic, with
   infection rates high and a strained health care system, but an
   effective vaccine being delivered.

   Spahn addressed the lower house of the German Parliament -- the
   Bundestag -- and defended the government choosing to wait almost two
   weeks to roll out its vaccine program, to coincide with the rest of the
   European Union.

   The health minister said following the rest of Europe "is in the
   national interest of Germany and our citizens." He argued that staying
   on the same schedule as their neighbors was the best way to ensure a
   strong economic recovery.

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