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Along with all EU countries, Austria will start vaccinating earlier than expected. However, approval must be given first.
Vienna / Brussels. The schedule is tight. Just four days after the expected approval of the first Covid vaccine from Pfizer and Biontech, the first people in Austria must be vaccinated. Chancellor Sebastian Kurz announced Thursday that vaccination would begin on December 27. The date for the whole Union had been previously announced by the President of the EU Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. In the days before, he had already ensured that there would be no preferential treatment for individual member states in distribution. All are supplied with the first sections at the same time.
At first, Austria can expect a delivery of around 10,000 doses of vaccine. This will be followed by 240,825 cans in January, 331,500 cans in February and 375,375 cans in March. Under the Austrian vaccination strategy, the first delivery is scheduled to serve the elderly and nursing homes, where the most recent deaths from the virus occurred. Vaccination of healthcare workers and high-risk groups will begin in January. These people may already be receiving the Moderna vaccine.
Decision on Monday
However, the vaccines have not even been approved yet. A first decision from the EU drug agency EMA is expected on Monday, December 21. If the Pfizer and Biontech vaccine is positive, the EU Commission will issue official approval within 48 hours. More approvals, for example, for Moderna’s vaccination, should follow around the turn of the year or soon after. The Biontech and Pfizer vaccine will cost € 15.50 per dose, according to EU circles, Moderna’s is around € 21. Brussels has reserved a total of two billion cans (pre-orders and options) with the six manufacturers Pfizer & Biontech, Moderna, CureVac, AstraZeneca, Sanofi GSK and Johnson & Johnson. More recently, preliminary negotiations were concluded with a seventh manufacturer, Novavax, for another 100 million cans. In all these negotiations led by the EU Commission, these were always preliminary contracts. Ultimately, the vaccine is purchased directly from the Member States. In the expected case of overcapacity, the EU countries want to donate part of the vaccine doses to the poorest countries.
Delivery at minus 80 degrees
The vaccine distribution had already been in the works for weeks. The first vaccines come from Belgium and the manufacturer ships them to 17 locations in Austria, from where they are subsequently distributed. It is a secret where the big camps are located. The Interior Ministry has classified them as critical infrastructure. The Pfizer and Biontech vaccine is delivered in refrigerated containers at a temperature of minus 80 degrees. As soon as it is transferred to normal refrigerators, such as those found in doctor’s offices or hospitals, it only lasts for 120 hours. Storage at minus 12-25 degrees is sufficient for Moderna vaccine.
