World News | Germany to Extend Lockdown Through January: Reports

Berlin [Germany], January 4 (ANI/Sputnik): Germany will extend a strict nationwide lockdown until the end of January in a bid to limit the surging spread of the coronavirus, media reported on Monday.

The move has been advocated by governors from the worst-hit regions of Bavaria, Saxony and Thuringia, according to the German Bild daily.

The final decision will be announced after Chancellor Angela Merkel meets by video with 16 regional governors on Tuesday.

The German Health Ministry is looking into ways to speed up the vaccination against COVID-19 by widening the gap between the shots beyond the recommended 42 days, Der Spiegel magazine said.

An extended gap between doses will allow Germany to give short-term immunity to a larger portion of the population, according to an internal paper circulated by the ministry.

The Robert Koch Institute, a national authority for infectious diseases, is studying options for increasing immunization to 60-70 percent of citizens, which is required to build herd immunity. (ANI/Sputnik)

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