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Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) expects a Covid-19 vaccine for the German population “early next year.” It could be January, maybe February or March, or even later. “Of course, it would be better if a vaccine could prevent new infections. But it would also be a gain if it smoothed out the course of the disease,” Spahn told SPIEGEL.
As soon as there is enough vaccine, “in six or seven months a lot of those who want to get vaccinated” could well be. Spahn continues to reject a mandatory vaccination: “There will be no mandatory vaccination.”
Spahn also wants to transfer excess doses of coronavirus vaccines to other countries. “We are getting significantly more vaccines than we will need,” the minister said. If there is anything left, it can still be sold to other countries or donated to poor nations. “But vaccine development is too complex for us to rely on just one candidate. We need alternatives.”
Suggestions for the requested sequence
It is still open which of the vaccines currently being tested will ultimately receive approval. To decide who could get vaccinated first, Spahn asked the Permanent Commission on Vaccination, the Ethics Council and Leopoldina for suggestions. “Nursing staff, physicians, and medical specialists certainly need to be on top,” Spahn said. Currently, the federal government is trying in various ways to secure sufficient doses of vaccine to supply the local resident population.
The Brussels Commission is negotiating with manufacturers across the EU. New doses are expected through financing agreements with German companies such as Biontech and Curevac. Spahn also wants to organize vaccines through digital apps. A digital appointment management solution is “very banal, but very important,” says Spahn.
Another application should allow easy recording of side effects. “In an ideal world, everything belongs to one great digital tool,” said the minister. “But the experience of the last few months has shown that things like this go wrong quickly under time pressure.” Therefore, “several independent solutions” are planned.
The conversation with Spahn took place before he fell ill with Covid-19 itself.
