Lack of transparency and willingness to take risks: Are the allegations against the German-European vaccination strategy justified?
Germany's botched opportunities.
Germany is said to
have dispensed with
70 million corona
vaccination
doses from
the manufacturer Biontech
There is also national criticism:
Should
Germany have
stipulated consideration in the form of vaccination doses
for the
funding
to Biontech?
The
EU and Germany
continue to oppose the
allegations
The
EU negotiations
with the various
vaccine manufacturers
seem to have been an endless back and forth.
While the signing of contracts dragged on into November, the process for individual countries such as
Great Britain
or
Japan was
much less complicated and therefore faster.
In contrast, the EU seems to have concluded its treaties too slowly and hesitantly.
Of course, this is not completely unfounded: In order to avoid vaccination-nationalist competition throughout the EU, fair distribution should be made possible, which will require
lengthy negotiations
.
However, the doubts and wishes of the individual countries about the corona vaccines also added up.
Dispute over the EU's corona vaccine negotiations: Germany gave away 70 million vaccine doses
Again and again it is emphasized defensively that the corona vaccine from the Mainz company
Biontech was neglected
because it is comparatively expensive and difficult to store.
His
chances of success
were still uncertain at the time of the negotiations.
Some EU countries therefore seem to have had
great doubts about the Biontech agent
.
According to research by the
Bild
newspaper, these countries are said to have even completely
rejected
the vaccine doses from Biontech
.
Germany
then
secured
100 million doses of Biontech vaccine
that other EU countries would not have wanted.
Chancellor Angela Merkel
is said to have shared these developments with the prime ministers at the summit on Tuesday, according to the
Bild
.
After Germany had secured the additional 100 million vaccine doses, there was a
backward movement
.
From mid-November the effectiveness of the Biontech vaccine slowly became clear.
The
skeptical EU countries
regretted their decision and changed their minds.
You want your share of the 100 million cans.
Federal
Minister of
Health
Jens Spahn
also confirmed this change of opinion
: "The acceptance has increased in parallel to its proven effectiveness." Merkel went on to explain that the federal government had agreed and
left more than 70 of the 100 million doses to
the other countries
.
Germany kept "only what we are entitled to," said Merkel.
In addition to the Biontech vaccine from Mainz, these vaccines are part of the EU negotiations:
Moderna (USA): The vaccine is already approved in the EU
CureVac (Tübingen): Bayer announced a cooperation with the manufacturer on Thursday
AstraZeneca (GBR / Sweden): The vaccine is already approved in Great Britain
Sanofi and GlaxoSmithKline (Fra / GBR)
Johnson & Johnson (USA)
IDT Biologika (D, Dessau)
Criticism of vaccine distribution in Germany: Lack of transparency and willingness to take risks
An endless
back and forth
in which Germany is not necessarily one of the
winners
.
The decision is probably just one of many that contributed to the hesitant start of
vaccine distribution
in
Germany
.
What is certain, however, is a
lack of transparency
throughout the negotiations.
With reference to confidentiality clauses and its negotiating position, the commission has not yet made details such as the prices of the corona vaccine public.
For this reason,
EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides will have
to answer questions from MEPs about the Commission's vaccination strategy on Thursday.
(2) Nevertheless, one cannot avoid the question of why BionTech or Moderna vaccines were no longer purchased.
Apparently the EU was hoping for cheaper vaccines.
That wasn't right considering the low cost of vaccines compared to the high cost of the pandemic
- Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) January 1, 2021
There
is still a
need
for
clarification
at the
national level
.
For months the question has been raised as to whether Germany should have secured more vaccines from Biontech in a direct agreement.
In September,
Research
Minister
Anja Karliczek (CDU)
said
the manufacturer
Biontech would receive
funding of 375 million
.
However, to demand no concrete consideration for this.
That also caused criticism.
The
image
According to Jens
Spahn protested against it and inserted a so-called “ministerial
reservation” to determine
something in
return
in the form of vaccination doses.
The minister refused and emphasized: It is “fundamentally important that the promotion of research and development of pharmaceuticals from tax revenues also leads to improved supply in and for Germany.
The Federal Ministry of Health also made this principle clear in the departmental vote on the BMBF's funding program for vaccine development. "
Jens Spahn defends vaccination strategy in Germany: "We are together in this pandemic"
Interview in @zdfspezial: In 2021 we secured 50 million vaccine doses from Moderna and 90 million from #BioNTech for D.
That alone is enough to offer virtually everyone a vaccination.
Further approvals will follow. Https://t.co/9cBu1Zu3aq
- Jens Spahn (@jensspahn) January 7, 2021
Federal
Minister of
Health
Jens Spahn
, however, continued to defend the vaccination campaign.
In the
ZDF
he reiterated on Wednesday evening, a
common European solution
: "We are together in this pandemic, and we just come together out again." It will bring nothing if only the people Germany were vaccinated - and not in the neighboring countries.
Spahn further emphasized: “At the beginning it is now close.
That was clear, and that's the way it is. ”The
Moderna vaccine
will also be scarce in the first few weeks, said Spahn.
"And then, from the second quarter onwards, things will gradually get better." The fundamental decision
to organize procurement on a European basis
remains "absolutely correct".