“There are not yet enough vaccine doses in Europe to stop the third wave by vaccination alone,” Spahn said at a news conference Friday, according to a translation by Deutsche Welle. “Even if the deliveries from EU orders come reliably, it will still take a few weeks until the risk groups are fully vaccinated.”

Germany’s infection rate is rising at a pace not seen since the record spike it endured in December and January. The numbers fell sharply in February, but they’re now curving upward again as Germany enters a third wave of the pandemic, propelled by new variants and infections among people younger than 65.

With Germany set for a four-day-weekend in early April due to the Easter holiday, Spahn said the country isn’t ready to relax travel and physical distancing rules. In fact, he said, Germans should be prepared to revert to tighter restrictions.