Bayern star sidelined by Covid regrets vaccine hesitancy

Bayern Munich midfielder Joshua Kimmich has said he is ready to get vaccinated against Covid-19 at the earliest opportunity, after the virus left him on the bench with reduced lung capacity.

The 26-year-old has made the leap from German sports columns to newspaper front pages after admitting he was unvaccinated because of concerns about the vaccines available.

His hesitancy has caused disruption to recent training schedules and line-ups and saw him miss last weekend's win against Dortmund. Bayern doctors have ruled out Kimmich for the rest of the year as virus infiltration had left residue fluid in his lungs. Training or playing in that condition, they told him, could lead to long-term heart heart damage.

In a Sunday interview with German public broadcaster ZDF, Kimmich said he accepted Bayern cutting his pay and regretted not getting the vaccine sooner.

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“It was just difficult for me overall to deal with my fears and concerns, which is why I was undecided for so long,” he said. “Perhaps I had to go through what I did.”

Testing

The player said he thought by being careful and testing regularly he could avoid the virus until more vaccines were available.

During his second recent spell of close contact quarantine Kimmich said he had booked a vaccine appointment, but the virus was quicker.

As Germany endures a record fourth wave of Covid-19, with increasing restrictions for unvaccinated people, Kimmich became a hero for vaccine sceptics and Covid-19 sceptic groups. He came under fire from public medical experts and politicians, who said his vaccine concerns were based on misunderstandings but, given his public profile, had a potentially negative influence on younger people.

In his interview Kimmich distanced himself from anti-vax groups and Covid-19 conspiracy theorists and said there were many others out there like him who were simply unsure and anxious about the vaccine.

“If we say, ‘we’ve done enough explaining, now we have to exert pressure,’ I am not sure if that is the right way,” he said. “That will certainly lead to an even bigger split in society.”