Germany warns of vaccine shortages as new COVID wave hits Europe

European nations scramble to get vaccination programmes back on track following a slew of suspensions on the use of the AstraZeneca shot.

Germany’s health minister warned on Friday there were not enough vaccine doses in Europe to contain a third wave of COVID-19 which has triggered infection rates to soar and prompted fresh lockdowns in parts of the continent. Jens Spahn’s cautionary message came as Germany and several other European nations sought to get their vaccine rollout programmes back on track following the disruption caused by a slew of suspensions on the use of the AstraZeneca shot. Case numbers have been rising in Germany, driven by an easing of restrictions in recent weeks just as a more transmissible variant of the virus has spread, underlining the need to accelerate vaccinations to protect the vulnerable.