D.he federal government has achieved its target of 30 million vaccinations set in mid-November by the end of the year. The mark was exceeded on Sunday, as Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach told the German Press Agency. “The booster campaign in Germany is in full swing. We have now reached an important intermediate goal. We can all be proud of that. ”Previously, the“ Bild ”newspaper reported that the goal had been achieved.
The SPD politician thanked everyone who contributed – especially the doctors, but also those who had been vaccinated. “You have done a great service to yourself and society.”
One year after the start of the vaccination campaign, around 74 percent of people in Germany have received at least one immunization against the coronavirus. On Saturday, according to the Ministry of Health, around 35,000 doses were administered nationwide on Sunday. The original goal of vaccinating at least 80 percent of citizens at least once by the end of the year will, however, be missed. For this, however, more than five million additional first vaccinations would have been necessary, which is considered practically unattainable. Compared to “Bild am Sonntag” a government spokesman announced that the 80 percent mark should be reached by the end of January if possible.
According to the Ministry of Health, booster vaccinations made up the majority of the vaccinations given on Saturday. About 30,000 of the 35,000 doses given on Saturday were booster vaccinations. A total of 61.4 million people, or just under 74 percent of the population, were vaccinated at least once, and around 59 million or just under 71 percent had now completed double basic immunization.
The German vaccination campaign started on Christmas 2020. The official first dose was given to a 101-year-old resident of a nursing home in Saxony-Anhalt on December 26th. In the meantime, almost 159.9 million cans have been shipped, according to the government.
Rush for booster vaccinations expected
General practitioner representatives expected a rush of people willing to vaccinate after the turn of the year. There will be a “rush” on the practices in January because of the demand for booster vaccinations, said the head of the North Rhine General Practitioners Association, Oliver Funken, of the “Rheinische Post”, according to an advance notification on Sunday.
Funken expressed the hope that the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) would soon recommend booster vaccinations for young people as well. Just a few days ago, the Stiko changed its recommendation for booster vaccinations for adults so that these should now take place three months after the completion of the basic vaccination. It was six months earlier.