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Health Minister Jens Spahn: "It was known that it would be tight at the beginning"
Photo:
John MacDougall / AFP
1.3 million doses of the Covid-19 vaccine from Biontech have already been delivered to the federal states.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, more than 238,000 people in Germany have so far been vaccinated against the corona virus (as of Sunday, 8 a.m.).
Even if you put aside half of the doses for the necessary second vaccination, the amount present has by far not been used up.
Is the start of the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus in Germany going too slowly?
Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) also sees the states as having an obligation to speed.
»There are definitely differences between the federal states.
For some, the vaccination campaign starts faster than for others, "said Spahn of the Düsseldorf" Rheinische Post ".
The federal states chose different paths, partly through letters or telephone appointments.
»The fact that there is no uniform national approach, but rather this different approach, was a very conscious decision by the federal states.
Now this decision has to be implemented in the best possible way, «emphasized the minister.
With the decision to vaccinate in nursing homes first, it was clear that the vaccinations would start more slowly.
“Mobile teams have to be deployed there, which is more complex than in the vaccination center,” says Spahn.
"Have ordered enough vaccine"
The minister also denied allegations that the government should have ordered more vaccine at risk.
"We have ordered enough vaccine for Germany and the EU," he told the "Rheinische Post".
The problem is the low production capacity at the beginning with extremely high demand worldwide.
"It was known that it would be tight at the beginning and that we had to prioritize."
The highest priority for vaccination is given to people who live or work in nursing homes, over 80s as well as staff in intensive care units, emergency rooms and the emergency services.
Spahn said he was "very confident that the federal states will offer all residents in nursing homes a vaccination offer in January."
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