Monday 22 November 2021
Countries against quotas
Spahn: An additional million Biontech cans
With the restriction of Biontech deliveries, Spahn has received severe criticism. The health minister has now announced an additional one million vaccine doses from Biontech for the coming week. His colleagues at the state level are still calling for the upper limit to be lifted.
In the coming week, one million more doses of the Biontech vaccine will be available in Germany than previously planned. As the Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek said in Munich, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn announced this to the state health ministers. Instead of two million, three million doses of the Biontech vaccine should then be available, after six million vaccine doses this week.
The Federal Ministry of Health had surprisingly restricted the maximum number of Biontech vaccines that could be given to doctors’ surgeries, which triggered sharp criticism. Holetschek said after the deliberations of the health ministerial conference that the problem with the Biontech deliveries had to be solved “promptly”.
The debate should not put a brake on the population’s increased willingness to vaccinate. At the same time, Holetschek advertised the competing vaccine from Moderna, which is a “very good, effective vaccine”. There are no restrictions at Moderna.
The federal states are urging that the quota for the Biontech vaccine be lifted again. The Conference of Health Ministers (GMK) decided unanimously. The state ministers agree that the vaccine from Moderna is equally suitable. The Biontech vaccine should be used more for the under-30s, as recommended by the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO). The Federal Ministry of Health should do everything possible to enable further Biontech vaccinations in full, the states continued.
Holetschek also called for a debate in federal politics about a general vaccination requirement. He hopes that “a signal will soon come from Berlin that vaccination is mandatory”. As Bavaria’s health minister said, the state health ministers will probably meet again this week.