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“Germany lost five weeks while vaccinating”
| Reading time: 2 minutes
The United States begins the largest vaccination campaign in its history
Start of vaccination in the US and Canada: There the first people will be vaccinated against the coronavirus. In Germany, however, they are still waiting for the vaccine to be approved by Biontech and Pfizer.
In Great Britain, Canada and the US, the Biontech and Pfizer vaccine is on the market with emergency approval; Germany is still awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency. For Karl Lauterbach, this “needs an explanation.”
northFollowing the start of vaccinations in Great Britain and the US with the corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer, criticism is mounting for the delay in approval for Germany by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
Karl Lauterbach, an SPD health expert, told the “t-online” news portal: “You have to explain that Britain can already use a German vaccine, but we can’t yet.”
The SPD politician also stated that, along with the European approval process, a national one should have been run at the same time. “Germany lost five weeks vaccinating,” Lauterbach said. “That costs many lives in the middle of the second wave. It is a sad handicap that cannot be changed now. “
The leader of the left-wing parliamentary group, Dietmar Bartsch, also criticized the slow approval. “It is difficult to understand that the first vaccine was developed in Germany, but that it will initially be used in other countries,” Bartsch told “t-online.” The EU approval process is quite long for the exceptional medical situation.
“Is there a no admission in the room? Barely. But every day without approval of a vaccine costs human lives. The federal government must do everything possible to speed up the European procedure,” said Bartsch.
“We work day and night to get approval”
However, according to the EMA, the approval process can hardly be sped up. The opinion of the expert committee will be available no later than December 29, EMA Director Emer Cooke said in Amsterdam on Monday. “We work day and night for the approval of the first Covid-19 vaccine.” However, the timelines would be “constantly re-evaluated” over the course of the testing process.
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) had called for the process to be speeded up. The Pfizer and Biontech vaccine is already on the market with emergency approval in the UK, Canada and the US.
The EMA chief stressed that there will be no compromises in terms of security. “European citizens have told us that they want speedy approval, but more importantly, they want a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks of the vaccine in order to be sure that it is safe, effective and of high quality.”
Unlike the US, Canada, and Britain, the EU does not issue an emergency license. According to the EMA director, the conditional marketing authorization ensures that Covid-19 vaccines meet EU standards for all vaccines and drugs.
