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In Germany vaccines against the corona virus begin. At first, only a few will be able to get vaccinated. A retirement home does not want to wait until Sunday and surprises the Minister of Health.
Exactly eleven months after the first corona infection became known in Germany, vaccines against the virus will begin on Sunday in all federal states. First, people over 80 years of age should be vaccinated, as well as nurses and hospital staff who are at special risk. To this end, mobile vaccination teams in particular will be on the move. Most of the more than 400 vaccination centers will not be operational until the next few days.
At a senior center in Halberstadt in Saxony-Anhalt, the first residents and employees were vaccinated on Saturday. Reason: The Harz district did not want to wait until Sunday. Edith Kwoizalla, 101, was vaccinated, as were about 40 of the 59 residents. Ten of the 40 employees wanted to get vaccinated.
One little pinprick, that’s all: Edith Kwoizalla was the first resident of the Krüger Senior Center to receive the corona vaccine from Dr. Bernhard Ellendt. (Source: Matthias Bein / dpa)
“Every day counts for us,” said the district’s vaccination center technical director, Immo Kramer of the MDR. Karsten Fischer of the district pandemic staff told the broadcaster: “We don’t want to waste this day when the vaccine loses its shelf life. We want to distribute it immediately.”
Spahn surprised by vaccination on Saturday
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) was surprised by the early start of vaccination in the Harz district. Spahn’s spokesman told “Bild am Sonntag” that the minister is happy with Edith Kwoizalla and wishes her all the best. However, the spokesperson emphasized: “However, we had agreed with all the partner countries of the EU and with the 16 federal states to deliver everyone on Saturday and start vaccinations together from Sunday.”
Nationwide it begins on Sunday, in several federal states the prime ministers also want to be there when vaccination begins. The federal government advocates that as many people as possible get vaccinated, also to protect others. According to experts, a vaccination rate of 60 to 70 percent is necessary to control the pandemic. According to a YouGov poll commissioned by the German Press Agency, 65 percent of Germans intend to get vaccinated.
Jens Spahn gives a press conference: The first vaccination in Germany on Saturday surprised the Minister of Health. (Source: dpa)
Spahn has called for a “national show of force.” “This vaccine is the decisive key to defeat this pandemic. It is the key so that we can recover our lives,” said the CDU politician on Saturday. Every more vaccination means fewer infections and fewer deaths. “Who participates saves lives,” Spahn emphasized.
“It would be good now to have a wide information campaign”
The first corona infection in Germany was known on January 27, 2020. Since then, more than 1.6 million infections have been recorded. According to the Robert Koch Institute, 29,422 people had died in Germany on Saturday.
Federal Research Minister Anja Karliczek sees the start of crown vaccines nationwide in Germany as an opportunity for a gradual return to normalcy. “Normal life will return step by step. But staying power is still necessary,” the CDU politician told the German press agency. The mass production of vaccines must be successful and the vaccination infrastructure must function as planned. You have full confidence in vaccines approved by the European Medicines Agency. “When it’s my turn, I’ll be very happy to be vaccinated,” Karliczek said.
SPD leader Norbert Walter-Borjans also campaigned for confidence in vaccines. “Now there are exhaustively tested vaccines, the vaccination plan is conclusive and scientifically sound,” he told the “Rheinische Post” (Sunday). “A broad awareness campaign would be good now,” added the SPD leader.
Söder demands more speed
Initially, only a very limited number of vaccine doses are available nationwide. Almost 10,000 cans were distributed in each federal state on Saturday, in Bremen just under 5,000, a total of 150,000 cans. 1.3 million doses of vaccine will be delivered before the end of the year. By the end of March it should exceed ten million. And by the middle of the year, Spahn wants to be able to make an offer to everyone who wants to get vaccinated.
Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder warned of the negative consequences of delivery bottlenecks. “The endless wait also reduces the willingness of the population to get vaccinated,” said the head of the CSU dpa in Munich. Unfortunately, there are not enough vaccines available yet. “The orders from the federal government are sufficient, but production takes time. Therefore, it is important to increase all capacities to manufacture the vaccine.” “The more you get vaccinated and the more you can get vaccinated, the faster we can reduce Corona’s great horror,” Söder said. He described vaccination as an “important step towards daily freedom.”
No more rights through vaccination
Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer believes that anyone who is vaccinated against Corona should not have any special rights. “A distinction between vaccinated and unvaccinated people amounts to mandatory vaccination. But I am against mandatory vaccination,” said the CSU politician from “Bild am Sonntag.” “We are all in this crisis. And we must fight to come out together and in solidarity.”
Foreign Minister Heiko Maas asked people to think outside the box when it comes to corona vaccines. The SPD politician told the German Press Agency that now it is first a question of fair distribution in the country itself. But at the same time, it must be ensured that the supply of vaccines to entire regions of the world is not cut off. “Each and every one of us will only be safe when we are all safe in the world from this virus,” the minister emphasized. He warned that without widespread vaccine distribution around the world, the virus could return.
