Germany to end free coronavirus tests to drive vaccination

BERLIN (AP) — Germany is ending free coronavirus tests for its citizens beginning in October, in part to encourage more people to get vaccinated, officials said Tuesday.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said Germany now has enough vaccines for its whole population — more than half is already fully immunised — and that studies showed they are effective in preventing severe cases of COVID-19, including infections with the delta variant.

“The not-so-good news is that the speed of vaccination has declined significantly,” Merkel said after a Tuesday meeting with the country's 16 state governors.

After a sluggish start and only really gaining speed from March onward, Germany's vaccination campaign has lost speed in recent weeks.

In response to the drop in demand, officials have begun pushing for more vaccinations at megastores and in city centres or offering incentives to get people to get shots.

Merkel said the government hopes 75% of the population will get the shot, but so far only slightly over 55% are fully immunised.

She urged Germans who are already vaccinated to encourage others to do so too.

While federal and state officials agreed that people who are fully vaccinated, have recovered from COVID-19, or have recently tested negative should continue to be treated equally in most situations, they also decided that antigen tests will stop being free for most people from October 11.

Exemptions will be made for those who can't currently be vaccinated in Germany, such as pregnant women.

Some German politicians had criticised the plan, arguing that it amounts to a tax on the poor.

Others say ending free testing is a way of punishing individuals who refuse to get vaccinated.

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