German minister calls for vaccine centers to be reactivated

BERLIN (AP) — Germany’s outgoing health minister is calling on state governments to reactivate some specialized COVID-19 vaccination centers that were closed in the late summer to help administer booster shots as new coronavirus infections increase rapidly. Germany’s standing committee on vaccination currently recommends booster shots for over-70s and a few other groups, but the health ministry has said that everyone is in principle entitled to one — drawing criticism from a group representing doctors. The country’s vaccination campaign has slowed considerably since the summer. According to official figures, about two-thirds of the population of 83 million has been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the number of new infections has risen constantly in recent weeks.