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According to the Ministry of Health, sufficient doses of corona vaccine will be available in Germany. At the federal press conference, Minister Spahn also gave an approximate date.
In the race for corona vaccines, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn rejected criticism of billions in preliminary contracts with numerous vaccine manufacturers. In the end, it will secure more cans than live in Germany through purchases in the EU, Spahn said Tuesday at a press conference with Research Minister Anja Karliczek in Berlin.
Anja Karliczek (Source: Metodi Popow / imago images)
But that’s because you can’t be sure which vaccine development will ultimately succeed. “Then I like to give some of the vaccines contractually agreed with us to other countries in the world if it turns out that we have more than we need.” said Spahn. “But first I play it safe.” Karliczek pointed out that with the 750 million euro funding program for vaccine research, which will go to three companies in Germany, the production expectation for the German market is also connected.
A joint European project
In Europe, facing small EU countries, the decision was made to buy vaccination doses together, Spahn noted. Germany and France are big enough to negotiate with the pharmaceutical companies themselves. The EU-27 wanted to do this together. “It is a European collaborative project,” he said. However, the Health Minister was significantly more secretive than the World Health Organization (WHO) plan to buy for all countries in the world as part of the so-called Covax program. The federal government has not yet decided how it will support Covax, Spahn said.
According to EU diplomats, the initiative is viewed ambiguously in the European Union. On the one hand, they want to support developing countries with the supply of vaccines. On the other hand, there is also the legitimate desire of the governments of the EU states to provide for their own people.
Availability? “As fast as possible”
The vaccine shouldn’t arrive until the middle of next year. That is why it is important that we continue to comply with the AHA rules, Spahn said. “I am convinced that we have such low infection rates compared to other countries because many people have internalized these rules and enforce them.” The press conference ends.
Jens Spahn (Quelle: photothek / imago images)
A journalist asked at the press conference: “How long does it take between the approval of the vaccine and its availability in practice?” Spahn is in favor of providing rapid care to the population after the studies are completed. “As quickly as possible. From a few days to a maximum of a few weeks,” says Spahn. This is possible because vaccines can be produced in parallel with vaccine development.
Herd immunity through voluntary corona vaccination
Spahn has also re-emphasized that no coronavirus vaccine should be introduced. “There will be a voluntary vaccination,” Spahn said. To achieve herd immunity, 55 to 65 percent of citizens in Germany would have to be vaccinated. “We are very, very confident that we will voluntarily reach the goal of a sufficiently high vaccination rate.” Spahn and Karliczek continue to assume that there will be a corona vaccine for much of the population next year.
To this end, the accelerated vaccine development of the Tübingen biotechnology company Curevac and the Mainz company Biontech are funded. The third company, IDT Biologika, from Dessau-Roßlau, will receive funding, but talks are still ongoing, as Karliczek highlighted.
“We don’t just rely on a vaccine, not just a development team, and not just a technology, but we want to promote a broad portfolio,” Spahn said. The funding will also strengthen Germany as a place for science, business and biotechnology.
