BERLIN (Reuters), -German officials have warned that coronavirus remains a threat. The Omicron variant of Delta is expected to replace Delta within the next few days. This will be in a country whose vaccine rates are lower than much of Western Europe.

Omicron is often associated with a less severe form of the disease. But, Christian Drosten, senior virologist, said that any gains in patient numbers are offset by negative ones. This underscores why vaccinations are so important.

Drosten indicated that approximately 3 million older people haven’t had their vaccines and 9 million still haven’t received booster shots. They are therefore vulnerable to highly contagious forms.

He stated, “The biggest obstacle to our success is the lack of vaccinations.”

Germany’s vaccination rates are lower than other western European countries. 72.5% of its population has been fully vaccinated, while 45.9% have received a booster shot.

France, Spain, Italy, and France all have at least 75% vaccination rates, while Portugal, Malta and Spain have over 80%.

Drosten stated that the coronavirus must be allowed to develop at its own pace, since it was impossible to continue vaccinating people.

Karl Lauterbach, Health Minister, said that he would not ease current coronavirus restrictions for the time being. He also stated that additional restrictions could be necessary in case of an increase in infection rates or hospital overcrowding.

He also stated that the “new” Novavax (NASDAQ: ) The vaccine should be accessible starting Feb. 21.

Lothar Wieler of the Robert Koch Institute for Infectious diseases (RKI), stated that Germany would prioritize those who are able to get PCR tests due to Omicron’s widespread prevalence.

As they try to meet demand, health authorities and labs have been warning of an impending testing shortage.

Germany’s daily infected number reached a record third consecutive peak on Friday with the reporting of 92,223 cases. This brings total cases up to 7.8 millions.

Austria saw another one-day record in this week’s Austria and the Netherlands were both declared high risk travel areas Friday.