Corona vaccines begin December 27 in nursing homes | NDR.de – news

As of December 18, 2020, 8:46 pm

Lower Saxony expects the first delivery of vaccines at the end of December. First of all, people in care facilities should be vaccinated. Meanwhile, the payment of doctors in vaccination centers has been clarified.

“As soon as the first deliveries of a vaccine arrive in Lower Saxony, we will start vaccines, initially for the most vulnerable people and health workers,” said Health Minister Carola Reimann (SPD). If all goes according to plan, vaccinations will begin in Germany on December 27. Who gets vaccinated against the coronavirus first is regulated by an ordinance signed on Friday by the federal Minister of Health, Jens Spahn (CDU).

Districts organize mobile vaccination teams

According to the Ministry of Health, the districts organize which services reach the health centers in Lower Saxony to vaccinate residents. The 50 vaccination centers in the country should start operating at a later date; an exact date was not initially given. From an organizational point of view, the centers are already operational, according to the Lower Saxony City Council.

Framework contract for vaccination centers

Meanwhile, the state has agreed a framework agreement with the Lower Saxony Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KVN) for vaccination at vaccination centers. This means that another hurdle has now been overcome, Reimann said. So far, nearly 2,400 doctors have expressed interest in a mission, reports NDR 1 Lower Saxony. Their contact details would now be sent to the district vaccination centers, which should then coordinate the service lists. The contractual agreement between the state and KVN on the remuneration of doctors is the basis for commissioning and allows more decisions to be made on the site, said the general manager of the Lower Saxony Association of Cities, Jan Arning.

Vaccination groups divided according to age and risk

The concept of vaccination at the national level states that all people over the age of 80 get vaccinated first, as well as staff and residents in nursing homes. Health workers with a very high risk of infection, for example in intensive care units, emergency rooms and emergency services, also belong to the first group. If all the people in this group who would like to be vaccinated, the second group comes into play. This includes people over the age of 70, including people with dementia or intellectual disabilities.

For now, only between 11 and 13 million doses of vaccines for Germany

The third group includes people over the age of 60 and people with diseases such as cancer or diabetes. Police, firefighters, food retailers, educators, and teachers are also assigned to the third group. In the first quarter, the Federal Ministry of Health expects between 11 and 13 million doses of vaccines for the whole of Germany.

Prime Minister Weil praises the priority list

Prime Minister Stephan Weil (SPD) praised the prioritization: “It is correct that we are initially protecting, directly and indirectly, those who are at particularly high risk of becoming seriously ill or even dying from a corona infection.” He also finds the additional prioritization very understandable and ethical, Weil said. It is unfortunate, but we must accept that professional groups such as police and teachers, who usually have direct contact with people, still have to wait a while before they can be vaccinated. “I understand very well the desire of these particular people to get vaccination protection quickly,” Weil said. “Unfortunately, we only have a limited supply of vaccine available for the first few weeks of next year.”