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The crown crisis in Germany will be contained by nationwide vaccinations for risk groups. But is there enough vaccine? And why is it taking so long? An overview.
Vaccines against the corona virus have been in Germany for a week. Health Minister Jens Spahn had already guessed before the start: “It will shake at one point or another.” The CDU politician should be right. Vaccination is too slow for many, other countries are progressing faster. The elderly, who must be vaccinated first, wonder how they get the important pikes. At the beginning of the election year, the opposition accuses the federal government of not having prepared. And the EU Commission is also being reprimanded a lot.
How much vaccine is there and how much has already been used?
So far, 1.3 million doses of the vaccine from the Mainz company Biontech have been delivered to the federal states. Initially, it will take care of residents of nursing homes and for the elderly, people over 80 years of age, as well as nursing and hospital personnel at special risk. On Saturday, the Robert Koch Institute announced that it had reported about 188,500 vaccinations. The actual number is likely higher due to reporting delays. Many citizens and experts complain that there are not enough vaccines. But even if you, as some federal states do, reserve half the doses for the second necessary vaccine, the total amount has by no means been exhausted.
Why is it so slow?
The Ministry of Health refers to the federal states that organize vaccinations. In general, it could be due to the fact that vaccines are given first in nursing homes and nursing homes. Residents are often not mobile, so vaccination teams have to drive home. This takes longer than mass vaccinations at a vaccination center. Brief medical consultations are also planned before vaccination.
When will the next delivery of vaccines arrive in the countries?
The next batch of Biontech vaccine arrives on Friday, January 8. Three more delivery dates are planned for each Monday until the beginning of February. 2.68 million additional vaccine doses will be distributed to federal states by February 1. A vaccine from another manufacturer could still be added in January – the German government awaits EU approval of Moderna’s vaccine on January 6. “We will then quickly coordinate the exact delivery schedules for this vaccine with the EU and the company,” the ministry announced. Minister Spahn promises in “RTL Aktuell” that all residents of nursing homes will be vaccinated in the course of January. “We can achieve this goal in January. And we want to and will achieve it with the federal states.”
How do you get an appointment for the vaccination?
How people over the age of 80 who do not live in nursing homes get vaccinated varies from state to state. In Baden-Württemberg, for example, you can already book appointments for vaccination centers by phone, but this is not yet possible in North Rhine-Westphalia. It is not yet clear how the majority of citizens will be informed later, if municipalities or insurance companies will contact everyone over 70.
Has the EU Commission asked for too little vaccine from Biontech?
Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides rejects the criticism. “Currently, the bottleneck is not the number of orders, but the global bottleneck in production capacities,” he explains to the German press agency. “This also applies to Biontech.” In November, up to 300 million doses of the Biontech vaccine were requested, which will be distributed to the 27 countries of the EU according to population. There are also framework agreements with five other manufacturers. In total, the EU has purchasing rights for almost two billion doses of vaccines, more than enough for the 450 million people in the EU. The problem: So far, only Biontech / Pfizer has EU approval. So diversity is useless at first.
Why did the EU Commission do this?
Since it was not clear for a long time who would be in the lead in the vaccine race, the commission wanted to spread the risk. Why, when and what amounts were requested from certain companies is not transparent: the contracts are secret. Hand in hand you can hear in Brussels: Biontech and Moderna were initially not the first choice for some EU countries, due to new technology and due to prices. These are also a secret, but a Belgian secretary of state recently gave a brief idea on Twitter: a dose of Moderna vaccine costs the equivalent of about 15 euros, from Biontech / Pfizer 12 euros, from Astrazeneca only 1.78 euros.
Did the EU bet on the wrong vaccines?
SPD politician Karl Lauterbach criticizes that Europe has only bought a small amount of the Moderna vaccine, that is, 160 million doses. “It was clear from the beginning that the Moderna vaccine had a very strong effect and could be used in general practitioner practices,” Lauterbach told the “Rheinische Post.” Due to the small amount, the Moderna vaccine is unlikely to play a significant role. On the other hand, the EU Commission agreed with AstraZeneca to buy up to 400 million cans in August and expected delivery before the end of the year. Then there were setbacks in the tests. The so-called Oxford vaccine has achieved emergency approval in Britain. In the EU, the product may be the next to hit the market a few weeks after Moderna.
Can the EU get more out of Biontech?
Probably yes. One was “in advanced discussions” about additional deliveries, Biontech chief Ugur Sahin said of the German news agency’s New Year. So more than 300 million cans ordered. They are working with the EU to expand production capacities. In “Spiegel” he pointed out the difficulties: “But it is not as if specialized factories around the world are unused that can produce vaccines of the required quality overnight.” Until the end of January it will not be clear if and how much additional production can be produced.
When will there be enough vaccines for everyone?
“The situation will improve step by step,” promises Health Commissioner Kyriakides. In mathematical terms, the quantity of the three products requested by the EU from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca – a total of 860 million doses – is sufficient for all planned vaccines in Europe: 60 to 70 percent of the population with two syringes each. As soon as all three have EU approval, the replenishment should begin. However, the vaccination campaign will take months because it will only be delivered in stages.
Why is Germany dependent on procurement through the EU and not purchasing it itself?
Health Minister Spahn emphasizes that Germany consciously chose the European route. A 27-year-old race for scarce vaccine would have meant a new fuel for the EU, and greater Germany would certainly have come under attack for driving out the smaller and less wealthy countries. “Europe is interconnected and the fastest way to get out of this crisis is together,” says Kyriakides. “Germany is also very interested in this.”
In addition, there is the market power of the EU Commission. You get good prices for the large quantities. According to media reports, the United States is said to have paid $ 19.50 each, the equivalent of about 16 euros, for the first 100 million doses of the Biontech vaccine. According to Belgian information, in the EU it was 12 euros.
