Omicron Variant Appears, German Minister Of Health Calls Fourth Dose Of Vaccine Injection Necessary

German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach injects a vaccine into a resident at the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) vaccination center in Hanover, Germany, Friday (12/17/2021). ANTARA PHOTOS/REUTERS/Fabian Bimmer/hp/cfo

JAKARTA - German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said a fourth vaccination would be needed to combat the coronavirus pandemic due to the presence of the more contagious variant of Omicron.

He said Germany had ordered 80 million doses of the vaccine made by Biontech, which specifically targets Omicron. The order will arrive in April or May.

Germany has also ordered four million doses of the newly approved Novavax vaccine - which is seen as more acceptable by vaccine skeptics - and 11 million doses of the new Valneva vaccine, which is awaiting marketing authorization, Lauterbach said.

The Novavax vaccine will arrive in the country in January. This was conveyed by Lauterbach at a press conference, Wednesday, December 22, as reported by Reuters from Antara.

"The offensive booster vaccination program is our most important element in the fight against Omicron," the health minister said.

Lauterbach put his backing behind a broad vaccine mandate, saying that without mandatory vaccine orders, the upcoming wave of infections is unlikely to be managed in the long term.

According to Lothar Wieler, head of Germany's Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, Omicron will accounted for the majority of coronavirus infections in Germany within three weeks.

"Christmas should not be the trigger that starts the Omicron catastrophe," RKI head Lothar Wieler said at the same news conference, adding that people should keep contact to a minimum.