[ad_1]
Federal Health Minister Spahn sees reason for optimism: European approval for a corona vaccine could be granted this year. At the same time, an extension of the partial block is increasingly likely.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn expects the first vaccines against the new corona virus this year. “There is reason for optimism that there will be approval for a vaccine in Europe this year. And then we can start vaccines immediately,” the CDU politician told the Germany publishing network. He called on the federal states for the vaccination centers to be ready for use by mid-December. That seems to work.
Spahn was also optimistic that it would not take until the end of 2021 for all population groups to be vaccinated. Therefore, you do not need deep cooling for many of the possible vaccines. They can be given in normal doctor’s offices. “And then it happens quickly: let’s not forget that up to 20 million people get vaccinated against the flu every year in a few weeks,” said the minister.
Germany obtains 300 million doses of vaccines
Spahn announced the establishment of an online platform on the vaccination rates achieved, differentiated by age and region. “Especially when we have achieved a high vaccination rate among particularly vulnerable population groups, we can gradually relax the restrictions.”
According to Spahn, the federal government has secured more than 300 million doses of vaccines for Germany through the EU Commission or bilateral agreements and options. “Even with two doses per vaccination, we would have enough for our own population and we could share it with other countries.” The minister announced that Germany would also secure the vaccination doses from the Dessau vaccine manufacturer IDT. During the day he visits the company together with the Prime Minister of Saxony-Anhalt, Reiner Haseloff.
Number of new infections stable at a high level
As announced by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), health authorities recently reported 10,864 new cases of corona in Germany in 24 hours. The numbers are comparatively low on Sundays and Mondays because, according to the RKI, fewer samples are taken on weekends and therefore fewer tests are done overall. A new record was reached on Friday with 23,648 new infections reported. Last Monday the figure was 10,824.
In October and early November, the number of new corona infections reported in Germany increased rapidly. The value has now stabilized at a high level for about two weeks. The decline that was expected after the entry into force of the partial lockdown has not yet been clearly discerned.
In total, the RKI has counted 929,133 infections detected with Sars-CoV-2 in Germany since the beginning of the pandemic. The number of deaths related to the virus increased by 90 in one day to a total of 14,122. At the same time, the RKI estimates that around 618,800 people have recovered.
Partial block is likely to extend
On Wednesday, Chancellor Angela Merkel and the country’s leaders want to discuss how to proceed regarding the applicable crown restrictions. As it became clear over the weekend, people in Germany have to prepare for an extension of the partial shutdown until December.
That’s what Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder said on Sunday in Berlin report, there are no “prospects of easing or of everything cleared”. The partial blockade had shown an effect, the number of infections had stabilized. But: “The hospitals are full, the death rate is increasing,” said the CSU politician.
Looking ahead to the next federal-state meeting, Söder said: “We will certainly propose to extend or deepen the blockade.” In addition to other contact restrictions, the subject of schools should also be discussed. “At critical points in particular, the school is unfortunately one of the sources of infection,” Söder said.
