BERLIN, Dec 22 (Reuters) – German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach said on Wednesday that a fourth vaccination will be necessary in the fight against the coronavirus pandemic due to the more contagious Omicron variant. He said that Germany has ordered 80 million doses of a vaccine made by Biontech specifically targeting Omicron and should arrive in April or May. Germany has also ordered four million doses of the newly approved vaccine Novavax – seen as more acceptable to vaccine sceptics – and 11 million doses of the new Valneva shot, which is waiting for marketing authorisation, Lauterbach said. The Novavax shots will arrive in the country in January, Lauterbach told a news conference. “An offensive booster campaign is our most important building block in the fight against Omicron,” the health minister said. Lauterbach threw his support behind a general vaccine mandate, saying that without one, it would not be possible to manage coming waves of infection over the long term. According to Lothar Wieler, president of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, Omicron will be responsible for most coronavirus infections in Germany within three weeks. “Christmas should not become the spark that starts the Omicron blaze,” RKI chief Lothar Wieler told the same news conference, adding people should limit contacts to an absolute minimum. (Reporting by Zuzanna Szymanska and Miranda Murray Editing by Madeline Chambers.NN: I find it interesting 70% of the US eligible population has not gotten vaccinated at all or they have not gotten their 3rd shot. Meanwhile i am preparing to get my 4th. What is the problem here? I got my first two shots In January. My booster 6 months later in June. My 3rd booster in the beginning of September. And i expect to get my 4th in January. So we are on a 4 to 6 month schedule. The science shows a 4 to 6 month booster program. I can do this and you should to.