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Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) considers it realistic that in the foreseeable future there will be mass vaccinations against the corona virus in Germany. “Starting today, I am very optimistic that there will be mass vaccinations no later than summer,” Spahn told the “T-Online” news portal on Saturday. Based on his current level of knowledge, he hopes that “we can also vaccinate nationally in medical offices in the summer.
There are a total of five candidate vaccines, “which with some probability will be approved by the middle of the year,” Spahn said. “In addition to the products of Biontech and Moderna, there are also those of Curevac, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson.”
When asked if Germany would end the worst in autumn 2021, Spahn briefly replied: “If as many as possible take advantage of the vaccination offer: yes.”
“Finding a balance between ethical principles and practicality”
Millions of people could already be immunized with vaccines in the spring, according to Spahn. At the end of March, “eleven million cans of Biontech are realistic for Germany.” When asked who would be vaccinated first, Spahn replied: “We will clarify this in the coming weeks based on the experts’ recommendations. We have to find the balance between ethical principles and practicality. “
Criticism of Spahn’s statements come from the German Foundation for Patient Protection. »Serums help alleviate Covid-19 disease. However, it is not clear if vaccines can prevent infection, ”said Eugen Brysch, a member of the Foundation’s Board. Therefore, it is “dangerous to give the impression that vaccines provide comprehensive protection against the virus.”
The federal government, and especially Health Minister Spahn, must “be careful not to use such simple images to increase willingness to vaccinate,” Brysch said. “Such simplifications lead people into the clutches of crown deniers. That would be bad for the urgently needed vaccination. “
Worrying about distribution conflicts
Jens Spahn also spoke Saturday in an online discussion on the topic of vaccination. There he said there would be a “very tough prioritization” at the start of corona vaccines. According to a dpa news agency summary of Spahn’s online presence, the CDU politician feared that initially there could be conflicts over the distribution of the vaccine in Germany in January for a double-digit number of millions of people willing to get vaccinated.
“Not in vain are concepts being worked on, including the protection of vaccination centers by the police,” Spahn said accordingly. There may be situations where people say, “I want to do it now,” even though it is not their turn yet.
According to federal government plans, risk groups, that is, the elderly and infirm, employees of the health service and of central areas of general interest should be vaccinated first. Jens Spahn named age as the “main criterion.” Anyone who has previous illnesses needs a certificate from their family doctor or specialist. Hope that doctors have an open mind to get vaccinated. But there will be no mandatory vaccination for them either.
Chancellor Angela Merkel also spoke about the status of vaccine development. “After more than nine months of the pandemic, we are now seeing the light at the end of the tunnel,” Merkel said on her weekly podcast. One or more vaccines are expected to be available very soon. “Then we can defeat the virus step by step.” Merkel said it would not be a matter of a few months.
