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Wednesday 16 December 2020
Start in nursing homes
Vaccination will begin on December 27
In Germany, corona vaccinations should start after the Christmas holidays. The health authorities of the federal states are adjusting to this after the information of the federal minister of health, Spahn. Defend your planned vaccination procedure against criticism.
The conference of ministers of health (GMK) of the federal states expects a national launch of corona vaccines on December 27. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn has informed GMK of the expected approval and delivery of the vaccine by Biontech and Pfizer, announced the Berlin Senate, which currently chairs GMK. “For federal states, this results in December 27 as the start date for Sars-CoV-2 vaccines. In particular, vaccination should begin in nursing homes.”
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) announced on Tuesday that it would make its decision to approve the vaccine from Mainz-based company Biontech and its US partner Pfizer on Monday. A positive vote is expected and vaccinations should start a few days later.
In a first step, about 400,000 doses of vaccine could be administered after approval, according to Spahn. The Minister of Health expects 11 to 13 million doses of vaccines by the end of the first quarter. On Friday, Spahn wants to present a regulation to prioritize vaccines at the Robert Koch Institute based on the recommendations of the Permanent Commission on Vaccination (Stiko).
The federal government defended its planned approach against criticism and is not planning any other laws. The Bundestag laid the legal basis for the initially necessary vaccination of vulnerable groups, Spahn said in the Bundestag. For further development there is “a transparent procedure” with a recommendation from the Permanent Commission on Vaccination and subsequent regulations. There is also “broad consensus” to vaccinate particularly vulnerable groups first.
Call for a vote on prioritizing vaccination
There were calls from the opposition for a new Bundestag vote to prioritize vaccines. Chancellor Angela Merkel made it clear that readjustments could be possible and necessary depending on the entry of different vaccines. The procedure also depends on what the licensing authorities have found about the suitability of the vaccines for which group, he said in the Bundestag. “That is why a vaccination strategy cannot be established as a law.” Rather, you have to look over and over again. For example, data for children are not yet available. The chancellor reiterated: “We do not want to introduce mandatory vaccines.”
Opposition speakers sometimes called for the Bundestag to get more involved. The vice chairman of the FDP parliamentary group, Stephan Thomae, said who was vaccinated and when could be a matter of life and death. The vaccination strategy is therefore a fundamental rights issue for Parliament to decide. Gesine Lötzsch, from the left, criticized the government for presenting a fait accompli to the Bundestag. Vaccination is a matter of trust, and trust can only be created with transparency and democratic decision-making.
However, SPD health expert Sabine Dittmar said no other legislative procedure was needed. The regulation procedure allows flexible and quick adjustments. Janosch Dahmen of the Greens explained that the vaccine is the central component in the fight against the pandemic. With the start of vaccines, the virus will not disappear all at once. AfD politician Paul Viktor Podolay asked how people should be fully informed about side effects and liability in case of possible harm to the vaccine.
