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DVaccines with the crown vaccine from British-Swedish manufacturer Astra-Zeneca are not progressing particularly well. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) from Tuesday to Sunday inclusive, almost 65,000 doses of the vaccine were administered throughout the country. The vaccine was only approved for Europe in January and is only used in Germany for people who are 64 years old or younger due to insufficient study data. As reported by the Federal Ministry of Health by Jens Spahn (CDU), the Federal Republic had received almost 346,000 doses of the Astra-Zeneca vaccine as of Sunday. Thus, so far only 19 percent of existing cans have been inoculated.
Reinhard bingener
Political Correspondent for Lower Saxony, Saxony-Anhalt and Bremen based in Hannover.
Matthias Wyssuwa
Political Correspondent for Northern Germany and Scandinavia based in Hamburg.
The rate is much higher for the other two approved vaccines. As can be seen from the information from the Ministry and RKI, a total of 85 percent of the doses of the Biontech vaccine have been administered so far, that is, a good 4.1 out of about 4.8 million doses, and 63 percent of Moderna’s vaccine. . The US company delivered about 154,000 cans, of which about 97,000 were inoculated. Two vaccines per person are also planned for the Astra-Zeneca vaccine, but so far only the first vaccines of this vaccine have been administered in Germany. For the other two manufacturers, the figures already include a number of second vaccines due to their earlier availability.
25 percent reported being ill in Dortmund
The federal government expects more supplies from Astra-Zeneca soon. According to the Health Ministry, a little less than 737,800 doses of vaccines will be delivered this Thursday, and another million will follow on February 27. But why is the vaccination rate so low with this preparation? A spokesman for the Bremen health administration noted that the vaccine had only been available for just over a week. A third of the doses are returned to the Hanseatic city for the second necessary vaccinations. The Baden-Württemberg Health Ministry argues similarly.
However, there is evidence that the Astra-Zeneca vaccine is less tolerated than its two mRNA counterparts, which are based on a different technique. Because the Astra-Zeneca vector vaccine is not available to the large group of older people, doctors and nurses in particular are currently immunized with it, and many of them complain of symptoms after vaccination. Therefore, the North Rhine-Westphalia Ministry of Health recommended on Tuesday that emergency services not send their employees all at once to vaccinate. Otherwise, a considerable part of the staff could be absent at the same time, which could jeopardize the supply.
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In Dortmund, after firefighters were vaccinated on Thursday, about 25 percent of employees reported sick, a city spokeswoman said. The city of Düsseldorf has already reacted according to the report in the “Rheinische Post” newspaper and is sending rescuers to vaccinate late. The medical director of the vaccination center in Lippe district, Ludger Böhlen, reports that about 20 to 30 percent of those vaccinated showed symptoms. “That is a typical picture of the flu, people are shaking, they have a headache and fever,” said Böhlen of the FAZ.
After a few days, the symptoms disappeared again. As a precaution, those vaccinated can take pain relievers such as ibuprofen or paracetamol, the doctor advises. “I have been a GP for 30 years and have been vaccinated a thousand times, but I have never seen anything like it,” says Böhlen. After all, sometimes severe symptoms are a sign that the immune system is reacting. “These people can expect a strong immunization.”
“What is surprising is the high proportion of strong side effects”
Also in Lower Saxony, there are a growing number of reports of hospitals in which a considerable number of employees call to be ill after vaccination. In some cases, the rate is between 25 and 30 percent, and in a hospital even 50 percent, reports Secretary of State Heiger Scholz (SPD) of the Ministry of Health. Those affected had complained of headaches, body aches, general depression and even feverish states. Such side effects are to be expected in principle with vector vaccines like those from Astra-Zeneca, Scholz said. “What is surprising is the high proportion of strong side effects.”
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So far, the ministry has not received any reports that a vaccinated person has had to be hospitalized. Therefore, the Hannover state government advises against vaccinating facilities such as rescue services or hospitals in one go due to anticipated staff shortages. The Paul Ehrlich Institute, which is responsible for evaluating the vaccine’s side effects, is investigating whether the reported reactions go beyond what was seen in clinical trials, a spokeswoman said.
In Sweden, the Sörmland region stopped vaccinating its employees with the Astra-Zeneca vaccine on Friday. The day before, employees at two hospitals had been given a total of 400 doses of vaccines and on Friday about 100 employees reported they were ill. Care was taken in the region not to vaccinate entire rooms at the same time so that there would be no shortage of personnel. But vaccinations should continue this Thursday. There is nothing to suggest that there is a problem with the vaccine, said a spokesman for the region. In most of those vaccinated on Friday, the symptoms had subsided.
