Joshua Kimmich's vaccine hesitancy dismays experts

A debate is taking place in Germany after Bayern Munich and Germany defender Joshua Kimmich expressed his reluctance to get vaccinated over concerns of potential long-term risks.

"I am of course aware of my responsibility," Kimmich said on Saturday.

"I follow all hygiene measures and get tested every two to three days. Everyone should make the decision for themselves."

"There is a very good chance that I will still get vaccinated. It's simply that I still have some concerns."

Experts have said the risks of contracting Covid far outweigh any dangers from a vaccine, and Kimmich was urged by German government spokesman Steffen Siebert, among others, to seek answers to his concerns and then maybe “decide in favour of the vaccination.”

Carsten Watzl, a professor of immunology at Technical University Dortmund, said the belief that vaccines could have long-term side effects was a common "misunderstanding".

"Say: I let myself get vaccinated and perhaps next year I will have some grave side-effects. That's not how it works," Mr Walzl said.

"The side-effects of a vaccine always appear directly after the vaccination, within a few weeks."