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Deutsche Post in Osnabrück
Photo: Fotostand / Gelhot / imago images / Fotostand
Lower Saxony's crisis managers are apparently still struggling with problems with the corona vaccination campaign.
When the residents of the retirement and nursing homes have received their first dose of vaccination at the end of January, the 50 vaccination centers in the country should start operating.
According to the recommendations of the Standing Vaccination Commission, people who are older than 80 years should first be vaccinated.
The problem: The responsible ministry of SPD health minister Carola Reimann apparently has difficulties in reaching all those affected by mail.
"Due to legal hurdles, the country can unfortunately not use the addresses of those entitled to vaccinate from the official register for this cover letter," said the Ministry's website.
Lower Saxony therefore relies on the postal address index.
Although the data met the high data protection requirements, they were incomplete.
In the districts and in the opposition, the approach meets with incomprehension and ridicule.
"It is incomprehensible," complains the managing director of the Lower Saxony regional assembly, Hubert Meyer, "that it is not possible to dispel possible data protection concerns in this situation."
"If you can't do it, you'd better leave it"
Meta Janssen-Kucz, health policy spokeswoman for the Lower Saxony Greens
The vaccination campaign in Lower Saxony got off to a poor start anyway.
While countries such as Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania and Schleswig-Holstein started vaccinating in December - right after the first delivery of the vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer - only the Lower Saxony districts of Osnabrück and Cloppenburg initially sent vaccination teams to their retirement and nursing homes.
It was not until January 4th that »pizza boxes«, as the packaging with 975 ampoules are called, arrived in all 50 vaccination centers.
The country has now caught up on vaccinations.
"Perhaps you should find out more about other federal states," scoffs the Greens' spokeswoman for health policy, Meta Janssen-Kucz.
It is "absurd" that the state government is using an incomplete file from a parcel service.
"It is becoming more and more obvious that those responsible in Lower Saxony are overwhelmed by the situation in the corona pandemic," says Janssen-Kucz.
"If you can't do it, you better leave it."
The estimated age is also used
In response to a request from SPIEGEL, a ministry spokesman explains the problems with the delivery of the letters to the private shipping service provider who is responsible for sending the letters.
According to Lower Saxony's "Implementation Act to the Federal Registration Act", the private company is not allowed to access the state's register of residents.
The "rental database of Deutsche Post Direkt GmbH", however, is allowed.
A spokesman for the Post announced that the data came from the company's rental database and contained "real age information" in addition to the first and last name and address.
"In addition, statistical data on the estimated age based on first names - but without personal reference - are used to increase the probability of reaching the right recipients."
To further increase the likelihood, the ministry should perhaps ask the districts for administrative assistance.
"Some district administrators are now considering writing to the over 80-year-old citizens in order to really reach everyone," said district council manager Meyer.
"Because the properly managed registration data is available in the municipalities."
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