Merkel makes farewell plea for Germans to get vaccinated

FILE PHOTO: A woman gets vaccinated against the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) through a window outside a doctor's practice, in the district of Friedrichshain, Berlin, Germany December 1, 2021. REUTERS/Annegret Hilse

BERLIN (Reuters) - Outgoing Chancellor Angela Merkel urged Germans on Saturday to get vaccinated against COVID-19 to help turn the tide on a fourth wave of cases that she said had become "dramatic" in parts of the country.

"We are in a very serious situation. In some parts of the country you can only describe it as dramatic: overfilled intensive care units, severely ill people who have to be flown across Germany to get the care they need," she said.