OREANDA-NEWS. The opposition «Free Democratic Party» (FDP) demands, that German Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier and Chancellor Angela Merkel must be vaccinated against COVID-19 as soon as possible. This measure will increase the confidence of the country's population in anti-coronavirus vaccines, said Michael Theurer, deputy chairman of the FDP faction in the Bundestag, in an interview with «Bild» newspaper. A public vaccination of the president and the Chancellor would be a «positive signal» and a «confidence-building measure», the politician believes.

Currently, there is a discussion in Germany about the allegedly lower effectiveness and safety of the British-Swedish vaccine against COVID-19 «AstraZeneca» compared to two other similar drugs, that have received certification in the European Union — «Biontech/Pfizer» and «Moderna».

Against this background, the number of positive results of tests for coronavirus is decreasing in Germany. According to the Robert Koch Institute, it's share is 6.46% of all tests. A week earlier, this figure was 7.5%, and in the last week of 2020 — more than 15%.

According to German doctors, the introduction of free rapid coronavirus tests for home use, announced by the German government, will not bring the desired result. «It doesn't make sense to fight the pandemic just by offering free tests», Ute Teichert, chairman of the Federal Association of Physicians, told «Funke» in an interview.