Berlin, 13 November 2021 (dpa/MIA) - "Difficult weeks lie ahead of us" warns German Chancellor Angela Merkel, urging fellow citizens to get vaccinated, amid a surge in record-breaking case counts threatening to overwhelm the country's health care system. Merkel noted that the situation was almost as bad as a year ago, a time which necessitated a partial lockdown that lasted for months. However, she noted that, this time, Germans have access to vaccines. "We have to take advantage, take advantage quickly. I ask you, please participate and try to convince your relatives and friends." Looking at the country's hospital network, Merkel argued that people with the virus need the best health care possible. "But this isn't possible in the regions worst-hit by corona. The stations are full. Patients have to be transferred to other places. Scheduled operations are being cancelled. "Doctors and carers who still remember the last winter of pandemic all too well are once again at the edge of being overwhelmed," she warned.