Thursday, January 28, 2021
"At least ten tough weeks"
Spahn expects a longer vaccine shortage
Federal Health Minister Spahn has shown himself open to a vaccination summit called for by several SPD politicians. He proposed a separate meeting with the prime ministers of the federal states. At the same time, he asks for patience in the explosive vaccine debate.
Health Minister Jens Spahn asks for patience in the escalating vaccine debate. "Because we are going through at least ten tough weeks with the shortage of the vaccine," he writes on Twitter, alluding to the deliveries from Biontech / Pfizer, Moderna and Astrazeneca. He is also ready to convene a vaccination summit called for by the SPD.
Carsten Schneider, the managing director of the parliamentary group, called for such a meeting. He accused Spahn on ZDF that there was no point in hiding behind Brussels. A vaccination summit is needed. He also rejected the charge that the SPD's actions were an election campaign. It is "normal political work, because otherwise we will not move fast enough".
Meanwhile, Spahn proposes a separate conference of prime ministers just on the subject. "We can only gain confidence in this crisis if the federal and state governments pull together," he said. "At this vaccination summit by the federal and state governments, we will talk about the situation, the goals, the next steps, so that Europe also gets its fair share." Representatives of the pharmaceutical industry should also be invited. According to Spahn, they should explain "how complex it is to manufacture a vaccine." And that a production can "not even be built in four weeks".
Spahn hopes for a quick solution with Astrazeneca
In the smoldering vaccine dispute with the pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca, Spahn called on the EU Commission for further negotiations. A possibly long legal dispute over the disclosure of supply contracts would not help in the current situation, said the minister. This is "the last thing we need". Instead, it must be about a fair distribution of the vaccine preparations – "especially if there are delivery problems, as is currently the case".
Spahn emphasized that he was relying on an amicable result. "That is definitely the better way," he said. People expected solutions from politics. A crisis talks between the EU and Astrazeneca were unsuccessful on Wednesday evening. Both sides described the discussions as "constructive". But EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides complained that there was still a "lack of clarity" about the timetable.
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