Germany is facing the third corona wave and is eagerly waiting for more vaccine - a new approval could help.
One year after the declaration of a pandemic by the World Health Organization (WHO), the Robert Koch Institute is convinced that the third corona wave has started in Germany.
"
We have very clear signs of this: The third wave has already started in Germany,
" said RKI President Lothar Wieler in an interview with the UN Journalists' Association (ACANU) in Geneva.
"I am very worried." The strict application of protective measures such as wearing a mask and keeping your distance is still urgently needed despite vaccinations *.
The vaccination campaign is a race against the mutating virus.
The finish line is in sight: If there are no interruptions due to production downtimes or other reasons,
80 percent of the population could be immune
to the virus
by autumn
.
"If that is the case, all measures can be lifted," said Wieler.
Johnson & Johnson corona vaccine in approval process
The approval of a fourth vaccine in the EU on Thursday could help alleviate the vaccine shortage.
It is expected that the European Medicines Agency (EMA) will recommend approval of the vaccine from the US manufacturer Johnson & Johnson.
Then the EU Commission still has to agree - but this is a formality and could be done on the same day.
The EU Commission has already ordered vaccine doses for 200 million people
.
Germany would receive 36.7 million of this.
However, there are fears that the company will not be able to deliver on time.
The manufacturer assured that he would adhere to the agreements and deliver from April.
A large part of the vaccinations - regardless of the vaccine - will be carried out by general practitioners.
However, the start of mass vaccinations in doctors' offices * may be delayed until mid-April
.
The aim is to start as early as possible, but no later than the week of April 19.
The federal and state health ministers decided on Wednesday after three hours of video consultation as a recommendation to the federal and state heads of government.
"We will involve the general practitioners from April and we will stick to the tried and tested structure of the vaccination centers"
The start of vaccination in the practices was initially planned for the beginning of April on Monday and is now subject to the proviso that "the manufacturer's delivery quantities still to be specified for April allow".
Government spokesman Steffen Seibert had announced that Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the prime ministers of the federal states
want to
decide on the recommendations of the conference of health
ministers as
soon as possible
.
The Bavarian health minister and current chairman of the conference of health ministers, Klaus Holetschek (CSU), described the strategy as a two-pillar model: "
We tie in April, a family physicians, and we stick to the proven structure fixed to the vaccination centers
, the federal states in the months. ”In the initial phase in April, there will not be enough vaccine available for doctors across the country to take off.
"But if the deliveries come as the federal government has promised us, then we can quickly ramp up the doctors' vaccinations."
Federal Finance Minister Olaf Scholz also continues to expect a rapid increase in the rate of vaccinations.
“We will have many more vaccine doses available in the next few weeks and months.
Every week there are more, several million a week have to be vaccinated.
In the summer it is about up to 10 million vaccinations a week
- in the vaccination centers, in doctors' offices and companies, "he told the
picture
(Thursday).
More on the topic
: Corona vaccines in comparison: protective effect varies considerably - mRNA agents with enormous advantages.
Corona vaccination also in doctor's offices: Dentists also offer support
The dentists also offered to help with the vaccinations.
As licensed doctors, dentists are basically qualified to carry out vaccinations, said the chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Dentists (KZBV), Wolfgang Eßer, the editorial network Germany (RND / Thursday).
“With their expertise and professionalism, the dental profession offered their support with test and vaccination measures at an early stage.
The offer is still valid
. "
Meanwhile, SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach does not assume that the involvement of general practitioners in the corona vaccination strategy will have a major impact before the end of April.
"
It is right to involve the general practitioners in the vaccination strategy,
even if
the vaccination
speed cannot be increased significantly by the end of April because of the lack of doses," Lauterbach told the
Rheinische Post
(Thursday).
The WHO declared the coronavirus outbreak a pandemic on March 11, 2020.
At the time, 118,000 infections had been reported worldwide and almost 4,300 people had died after being infected.
A year later, according to WHO statistics, there are almost 120 million reported infections worldwide and a good
2.6 million deaths
.
(dpa)
* Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
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