Could the coronavirus vaccinations start this December? Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn is confident in this regard.
After the two surprisingly short-term successes in the search for a corona vaccine in the past few weeks Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) gives hope that the first vaccinations could be administered in Germany in December of this year. "There is cause for optimism that there will be approval for a vaccine in Europe this year. And then we can start with the vaccinations immediately," said the politician to the editorial network in Germany. To make this possible, Spahn asked the federal states to make their vaccination centers operational by mid-December. And right now it looks like it will work.
Vaccination coverage by the end of 2021?
In general, the Federal Minister of Health is optimistic, that all population groups could be vaccinated by the end of 2021 at the latest. Many of the vaccines developed to date therefore do not require any special deep cooling, which means that they can also be stored and administered in normal doctor's offices. "And then it goes quickly: Let's not forget that in a few weeks up to 20 million people are vaccinated against flu every year," continued Spahn.
Meanwhile, IDT Biologika is the third German company that is about to apply for approval for a corona vaccine. Jens Spahn only recently visited the Dessau manufacturer. The company then announced that a contract had been concluded with the federal government for the purchase of five million vaccine doses. In addition, the manufacturer will be supported with 30 million euros in order to be able to build up more production capacities and will receive a further 113 million euros for research funding. Federal Health Minister Spahn and representatives from IDT Biologika also announced at a joint press conference that an accelerated approval process for the corona vaccine should be applied for in 2021.
So far, over 300 million vaccine doses planned for Germany
Through the EU Commission and bilateral agreements According to Spahn, the federal government has so far secured over 300 million vaccine doses for Germany in advance. "Even with two doses per vaccination, we would have enough for our own population and can share it with other countries," said the Federal Minister of Health.
In addition, Spahn announced that an online platform is set up, in which there is, among other things, information about the vaccination rates achieved. A differentiation is made according to age and region. "Particularly when we have achieved a high vaccination rate among the population groups that are particularly at risk, we will be able to gradually relax the restrictions."