German parliament rejects government bid for mandatory Covid vaccines

Germany's parliament on Thursday rejected a government-backed proposal for mandatory Covid vaccines for people above 60, in a stinging defeat for Chancellor Olaf Scholz's coalition.
Scholz, who in late November touted compulsory jabs for all adults as the surest way out of the pandemic, had set a goal of introducing the jabs in "late February or early March".
But his government's proposal for over-60s to get vaccinated failed, obtaining only 296 votes in favour, while 378 parliamentarians cast their ballots against.