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Hospital staff in Germany could possibly get vaccinated against Covid-19 from mid-December. Even if no substances have been approved yet, clinics should already plan possible vaccines. “Due to the urgency, hospitals must prepare vaccines now, even if not all information and documents are available,” says a letter from the Schleswig-Holstein Ministry of Health to state hospitals, which SPIEGEL has received. Other federal states have sent comparable information.
According to the current state of the situation, the facilities should be “vaccinable” as of December 15. “The state provides about 80,000 doses of the Biontech and Pfizer vaccine for hospital staff. Since each must receive two doses, 40,000 people could be immunized. “Based on the current status and taking into account the average vaccination rates, this is sufficient for the employees of all hospitals in Schleswig-Holstein,” the statement said. of authority.
Just a few weeks ago, Biontech and Pfizer released the first data from the crucial phase III study with more than 43,000 participants. Based on this, the vaccine is 95 percent effective. There was no evidence of serious side effects. However, 3.8 percent of those vaccinated complained of fatigue and two percent reported headaches after vaccination.
“Risk of serious side effects less than the risk of Covid-19”
However, it remains to be seen how long vaccinated people will be protected against Covid 19 disease and whether the vaccine will retain its high efficacy in the long term. Nothing is known about the possible long-term side effects of the most developed vaccines to date, since the study participants were vaccinated only a few months or weeks ago. “The risk of serious side effects from one of the vaccines, especially in risk groups, seems to me to be significantly lower than the risk of Covid 19 disease. We are currently facing a threat from which vaccines can protect us,” he said. Immunologist Leif Erik Sander from the Berlin Charité to SPIEGEL. (Read more about this here).
Because the Biontech and Pfizer vaccine does not contain weakened viruses or components of the corona pathogen, experts hope it will be well tolerated. The vaccine is the so-called mRNA vaccine. The genetic blueprint of a component of the virus is injected, which in the best case scenario should trigger a chain reaction in the body: human cells recognize the genetic code and reproduce the virus protein, which does not make it sick, but simulates an infection in the immune system. The body’s own defenses place, among other things, precisely engineered antibodies that can also turn off the real virus.
This approach promises several benefits. Because the vaccine works without weakened viruses, it may have fewer side effects. At the same time, tailored vaccines against cancer cells could be developed in this way. (Read more about this here). However, it was questionable whether the virus’ genetic information alone would trigger a robust immune response. And no mRNA vaccine has ever been approved for humans. Early data from the Biontech study now suggests that the principle really works.
In addition to the Mainz-based company, the American biotech company Moderna has also developed an mRNA vaccine that, according to initial data, is also nearly 95 percent effective. The pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca recently published the first results of a phase III study. This vaccine is based on so-called vector viruses.
The three candidate vaccines are currently in a continuous review process at the European Medicines Agency (EMA), which decides approvals in the EU. This means that study results are continually reviewed and not just when they are finally available. This shortens the bureaucratic time required.
However, it is unclear if the Biontech and Pfizer vaccine will actually be approved on December 15. Also, it’s unclear how many cans will be available initially. The fact that hospitals are prepared for vaccination from the same day is mainly due to logistics.
According to the current state, the vaccine only lasts at minus 70 degrees for a longer period of time and therefore must be stored in specially authorized centers. Further dispensing from there has to be quick, because at normal refrigerator temperatures, the cans can only last a day or two. There were initial reports that the cans could have a longer shelf life as well, but authorities currently plan to use this short period of time.
Vaccination centers are already being set up nationwide, cold chains are being organized and storage facilities are being set up. Hospitals should now indicate how many employees are vaccinated to wishso that the cans are ready on time.
Priority is given to employees who have to protect themselves especially against infections and who have frequent contact with patients. This includes, for example, personnel in intensive care units, emergency rooms or delivery rooms. Employees who have contact with Covid 19 patients should also get vaccinated first. Hospitals must also have enough syringes and needles for the vaccine to be administered.
Vaccination does not replace the rules of the crown
In Schleswig-Holstein, hospitals will probably have to collect the cans themselves from vaccination centers. “Bring coolers,” says the letter from the Ministry of Health. However, they don’t have to drop below 70 degrees if hospitals run out of cans in two days.
A documentation tool with which all vaccines can be recorded in a standardized way will not be available until early next year. Until then, hospitals must collect the data in such a way that it can then be collected centrally.
The Permanent Commission on Vaccination (Stiko), the Ethics Council and the Leopoldina Academy of Sciences recently made recommendations on who should get vaccinated first:
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People who must your age or medical history belong to the risk group
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Colleague Hospitals and nursing homes
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People in the public sector with key positions in society and public order such as policemen or employees in health departments, fire departments, teachers, educators.
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People that live in cramped accommodation as in refugee shelters or homeless facilities.
However, the decision on exact prioritization rests with politicians. It is also questionable when enough vaccine will be available. The EU had obtained up to 300 million doses of the Biontech vaccine, up to 400 million more from AstraZeneca and up to 160 million from Moderna. None of the vaccine candidates have been approved yet.
In addition, vaccinated individuals must continue to comply with crown restrictions. Because it is not yet clear if people who have been vaccinated may not get sick but still be contagious.
Editor’s Note: In an earlier version of this text, the headline could give the impression that vaccinations would begin on December 15. In fact, they cannot start until the vaccine is approved.
