Germany's lower saxony head not ruling out mandatory COVID vaccination

Minister-President of Germany's Lower Saxony, Stephan Weil, said on Tuesday that the mandatory coronavirus vaccination would be the last resort in the fight against the pandemic in the country, but still a possible option.

"There is a legal dispute on this issue at the moment. Critics indicate two points. First of all, there are no long-term studies. Secondly, and this needs to be taken more seriously: mandatory vaccination is a violation of physical integrity, so it can only be a last resort, "Weil said at a press conference.

Several other German politicians do not rule out the option of making immunization obligatory for the entire population, including Bavarian minister-president Markus Soder and Baden-Wurttemberg's minister-president Winfried Kretschmann.

Germany has recently seen a surge in COVID-19 infections, hitting a new daily record high of 65,371 new infections on November 18. To date, the country has confirmed 45,326 fresh COVID-19 cases and 309 related fatalities.

In addition, 70.6 per cent of the German population have been vaccinated at least once, while the number of fully immunized citizens amounts to 68 per cent, according to the Robert Koch Institute.

(ANI/Sputnik)