Still urging others to get vaccinated and boosted.

• German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (59) has tested positive for COVID-19, according to Deutsche Welle (DW), a German international broadcaster.
• Lauterbach was infected with the virus despite receiving four doses of the COVID vaccine, raising questions about the drug’s effectiveness.
• Nevertheless, the German official continues to promote vaccinations: “The minister therefore again appeals to everyone to behave prudently and pay attention to adequate vaccination protection, so that infections and severe cases can be prevented as much as possible,” the ministry said.
• The health minister tested positive also despite being a vocal advocate for mask-wearing, which he contends helps “protect” individuals from COVID.
• Just weeks ago, Lauterbach even urged people to wear face masks indoors: “I ask those who want to protect themselves or others to wear masks indoors,” the German health minister, a member of the Social Democrats, told reporters in Berlin. “Voluntarily wearing masks needs to be a normality indoors.”
• The German health official is reportedly showing mild symptoms and is isolating at home.

• On Wednesday, the German government announced more COVID measures, including nationwide “compulsory wearing of face masks on long-distance trains and airplanes” during the coming fall and winter, according to DW. “A negative COVID test will also be required from October until early April for many people to secure entry to hospitals, nursing homes and similar institutions.”
• Germany also indicated it was incentivizing citizens to get vaccinated, hinting that those who were recently vaccinated or infected and recovered would likely be exempt from the above measures.

• American Faith recently reported how Hong Kong suffered 5,020 new COVID infections and three new deaths, despite the Chinese city enforcing some of the “toughest COVID restrictions in the world” and despite the region boasting a 90.5% vaccination rate, 87.1% of its population being “fully” vaccinated.
• Ghana, on the other hand, has a very low vaccination rate and enjoys a very low COVID infection rate.