Corona vaccination: Biontech wants to significantly increase delivery - EU according to von der Leyen "made good progress"

Ursula von der Leyen sees the EU on the right path with corona vaccinations.

Biontech wants to deliver additional vaccine doses to the EU in the second quarter.

• Health Minister

  Jens Spahn

  is open to

  vaccine *

  against Corona *

  from Russia and China

  (update from January 31, 10:42 a.m.)

  .

• Manufacturer

  AstraZeneca is

  now delivering more cans than announced

  (see update from January 31, 7.43 p.m.).

• Biontech

  can potentially

  deliver

  75 million additional doses of vaccine

  to the EU

  in the second quarter

  .

• This

  news ticker

  is updated regularly.

Update from February 1, 8.45

a.m.:

According to its own statements, the

vaccine

manufacturer Biontech

can

possibly

deliver

up to

75 million additional doses of

its vaccine to the

EU

in the

second quarter

.

The Mainz company announced this on Monday morning - a few hours before the

federal and state

vaccination summit

.

"We are continuing to work on

increasing deliveries

from the week of February 15 to ensure the contractually agreed delivery of the full amount of vaccine

doses

in the

first quarter," said Biontech CFO

Sierk Poetting

as quoted in the statement.

"We could also

deliver

up to 75 million more cans

to the European Union

in the

second quarter

."

Corona vaccinations: EU according to von der Leyen "made good progress"

EU Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen

sees the EU

on the right track

despite the delivery bottlenecks for the

corona vaccines

that have been ordered

.

In the meantime,

twelve million people

in the EU have been vaccinated, which is an “impressive number” in relation to the approximately 370 million adult EU citizens.

The CDU politician reported on the ZDF “heute journal” on Sunday that they had “made good progress”.

There is now "another

difficult phase

" in February and March.

In the second quarter, however, significantly more

vaccine doses are

to be expected because the initial difficulties will have been overcome and further vaccines will be approved.

The

EU

aims

to have 70 percent

of adults in the

EU

vaccinated

by the end of summer

.

"If we can do that, it will be a tremendous achievement."

+

Ursula von der Leyen, President of the European Commission.

(Archive image)

© picture alliance / dpa / Pool Reuters / AP |

Yves Herman

Corona vaccinations in Germany: Spahn sees some catching up to do with appointments and deliveries

Update from January 31, 10:36 p.m.:

By mid-February, all residents and employees of retirement and nursing homes should

in Germany have received an offer

to vaccinate

against the

coronavirus

.

Health Minister

Jens Spahn

(CDU)

said that

on Sunday evening in the

picture

talk “The right questions”.

Currently, around 70 percent of the facilities were on.

The prerequisite for this goal, which has now been postponed a bit, is fulfilled: The

vaccination doses

must be delivered as promised and nothing big should come up otherwise.

"The

scheduling

, the reliability of the

deliveries

must improve," said Spahn.

But he always emphasized the success that, for example, three vaccines have already been approved in the EU.

In addition, Spahn said that the government will continue to

order

vaccines

so that the capacities are guaranteed until 2022.

This precautionary order is important because it is not yet certain whether further booster vaccinations may be needed after the first and second vaccination, as with other vaccines, in order to maintain protection.

Corona vaccinations: AstraZeneca is now delivering nine million more vaccination doses

Update from January 31, 7.43 p.m.:

Now?

According to a tweet from

Ursula von der Leyen

,

AstraZeneca will

now deliver more vaccine to the EU in the first quarter than last announced.

According to this information, there would be nine million doses, for a total of 40 million doses.

That would be half of the originally targeted amount of 80 million cans.

And there is still good news in the days of vaccination dispute: According to von der Leyen, AstraZeneca wants to

start

delivering

a week earlier

than planned.

The company also wants to expand its production capacity in Europe.

Corona vaccinations: Finance Minister Scholz criticizes the EU and Merkel's vaccination goal

Update from January 31, 7:21 p.m.:

Shortly before the German corona vaccination summit on Monday, Vice Chancellor

Olaf Scholz

(SPD) once again expressed clear criticism of the current situation.

He is also looking at the aim of the Chancellor and Health Minister Jens Spahn to be able to

offer

all willing citizens a

vaccination

offer

by the end of the summer

.

"If I follow the current debate about vaccine deliveries and extrapolate, we have to work very hard," he told the

Süddeutsche Zeitung

.

He thinks the date is ambitious.

Scholz also criticized

the European Union's strategy for purchasing

corona vaccines

: “It would have been good if Europe had ordered more vaccines.

Much further beyond our own needs. ”In his view, the orders did not fail because of the money.

Vaccinating against the coronavirus: soon vaccine from China and Russia?

Spahn thinks about it

Update from January 31st, 10:42 am

: In addition to vaccines from Great Britain / Sweden *, Germany * and the USA

(see previous update)

, there could also be some from

China *

or

Russia * in

this country

in the future

.

Federal Health

Minister Jens Spahn (CDU)

was open to it - but only in the case of successful

EU approval

.

This is what he told the

Frankfurter Allgemeine Sonntagszeitung

:

"If a vaccine is safe and effective no matter what country it was made in, then of course it can help manage the pandemic."

Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU)

Russia announced on Friday that it would be

able to supply

the EU with 100 million doses of the

Sputnik V

vaccine in the second quarter

.

This would allow 50 million people to be vaccinated.

An application for approval of the vaccine has already been

submitted to

the European Medicines Agency (

EMA

).

The active ingredient was the

first

in the

world to be released

for broad use in the population in

mid-August

, although important tests had passed by then.

This triggered international criticism.

No

independent studies

are known to date.

+

Open to corona vaccines from Russia or China: Jens Spahn (CDU)

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

Corona vaccine: who gets which first?

Expert before Spahn summit with finger pointing - "equalize competition"

Update from January 31, 9.41

a.m.: AstraZeneca, Biontech or Moderna: Should it be

regulated

with the various

corona vaccines

who has which "right of way"?

Shortly before the

vaccination summit

with Health Minister

Jens Spahn (CDU *)

(here a

Münchner-Merkur

commentary on the subject *), the

German Foundation for Patient

Protection

makes

a proposal: With the availability of the

AstraZeneca

vaccine,

vaccination of the serums from

Biontech / Pfizer

and

Moderna

stop

for the time being to under-65s

.

"In this way, the older generation can be supplied with vaccines that are highly effective for their age group more quickly," said board member

Eugen Brysch of

the

dpa

.

This decision would also

equalize

the

competition for vaccination offers

.

The

Stiko

vaccination

commission based

at the

RKI

recommends the Astrazeneca remedy only for people between the ages of 18 and 64; in the EU it is approved for all age groups.

However: In

Italy

, the local drug authority advises that the vaccine only be administered to adults up to the age of

55 years

.

+

A doctor prepares a dose with the Biontech-Pfizer vaccine.

© Frank Rumpenhorst / dpa-Pool / dpa

Corona vaccine: Hamburg's mayor is annoyed by bottlenecks at Moderna - the Ministry reacts directly

Update from January 30th, 8:34 p.m.:

On Saturday it became known that fewer

vaccine doses from the manufacturer Moderna

can be delivered than planned.

Peter Tschentscher, Mayor of Hamburg, vented his anger on Twitter.

“The Federal Chancellery has just announced that the promised deliveries of Moderna vaccines will now also be reduced.

How should you plan the vaccinations? ”Wrote Tschentscher in the afternoon.

The Federal

Ministry of

Health responded to the tweet and made it clear that there would still be no less vaccine available because

Biontech

and

AstraZeneca

will instead

deliver

more doses than planned.

"Until February 22nd

BioNTech and AstraZeneca will deliver

1,747,000 more vaccine doses to

the countries

than previously planned.

This will more than compensate for the temporary bottlenecks (-43,200 cans) announced by Moderna, ”the ministry said on Twitter.

Corona vaccine: Spahn adheres to distribution rules - and names a possible date for a return to normal

3:35 p.m.: Jens Spahn

talks about potential home tests and gives citizens hope in a question and answer session with nurses and experts that tests no longer have to be carried out deep in the throat.

“As soon as we have these, and as soon as they are good enough, we will allow them.” For example, he names

lollipop tests

that are less unpleasant than the previous tests.

15:10:

About the

prioritization

said Health Minister Jens Spahn in a question and answer session with nurses: "We are not talking about years." You'll be the only German on

"six, eight, ten" weeks

accompany.

But Spahn also admits that he knows: "At the moment every week is hard and frustrating and bitter."

It is very difficult to distribute the vaccine in demand fairly.

“That is why we asked Stiko for this classification.” Regarding the individual decisions, he says that Germany could not make two or three million exceptions in terms of prioritization, not even for caring relatives.

“We will not be able to stand that as a society.

I can only ask for your patience. "

Spahn would have liked a uniform solution for organizing vaccination appointments, but failed because of the veto of the prime ministers.

"Sixteen colleagues have said to me three times: No."

+

Jens Spahn at the event "Together against Corona live".

© Screenshot YouTube / Federal Ministry of Health

Corona vaccination in Germany: Jens Spahn expects five million more vaccine doses in February

2:51 p.m.: Jens Spahn

expects another five million vaccine doses from the three manufacturers Astrazeneca, Biontech and Moderna in February.

The companies had announced deliveries with delivery dates by February 22, said Spahn.

“There are vaccines every week.

It should ideally be more, but a lot happens, ”said Spahn in a question and answer session with nurses and experts.

"There will be more too."

Because AstraZeneca is only approved for 18 to 64 year olds, he expects the nursing staff to be vaccinated faster now.

2.43 p.m.:

When is the

protection complete after the vaccination

?

"Two weeks after the second vaccination," the protection is complete, according to the President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Dr.

Klaus Cichutek.

And when can the

distance measures

be relaxed again?

Health Minister Spahn said in an online question and answer session with experts and nurses: The measures will not be

relaxed

immediately after the vaccinations

.

Too little is known about how the virus is still spreading in terms of reinfection.

But Spahn speaks of summer as a potential date for a slow return to normal

.

"When we have given everyone a vaccination offer." But this must be decided on the basis of reasonable data, and not because of impatience. "RKI boss Lothar Wieler also agrees.

Spahn on mandatory vaccinations: "We don't want vaccinations"

2.38 p.m.:

Spahn on

compulsory vaccination

: “For certain professional groups there is a legal basis for this.

But

we don't want a mandatory vaccination

, we want to rely on information.

But it's also about responsibility.

That's why I strongly promote it. "

2:33 p.m.:

Can vaccinations affect fertility?

This question comes up again and again in the question and answer session of nursing staff.

Paul Ehrlich Head of Institute Dr.

Klaus Cichutek makes it clear that

fertility is in

no way affected by the vaccines.

He describes such claims as

"fake news"

.

The vaccination is not recommended for pregnant women.

Stiko boss Dr.

Mertens describes a connection between vaccination and fertility as "sheer nonsense".

Even with pregnant women “nothing special happened” during the vaccination.

Change vaccination priorities?

Stiko boss advises Spahn against it

2:26 p.m.:

How

ready

are Germans to be

vaccinated

?

Spahn speaks of 80 percent

who want to be vaccinated - at least the example he knows suggests so.

He names a survey from his home town of Westphalia-Lippe with a few thousand participants.

2:21 p.m.:

The head of

Stiko

, Prof.

Dr.

Thomas Mertens

, advises Spahn against changing anything in the vaccination prioritization without good data.

The President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Dr.

Klaus Cichutek said: “

The vaccine is very safe

.

It is comparable to the others in terms of quality and effectiveness.

The data situation was not the same for age.

Therefore, Stiko made this recommendation. "

Health Minister Spahn indicates revision of the vaccination ordinance

Update from January 30, 2:12 p.m.:

Health Minister

Jens Spahn

has expressed understanding for the frustration of citizens with the vaccination chaos.

“I understand impatience well,”

said the minister.

"The need for coordination is great,"

said Spahn in an online question and answer session with nursing staff.

The three approved vaccines “nobody would have expected 12 months ago.

We are on a good way."

70 percent of the nursing home residents are vaccinated. “We started there, but we need more.

We have to

revise

the

vaccination ordinance

because of the age recommendation from AstraZeneca, ”said Spahn.

The minister also said on the future

behavior of vaccinated persons

: “Our recommendation is to continue to maintain the distance rules.

Because we still don't know whether someone who has been vaccinated is still contagious. ”He knows how difficult it is.

"We are all pandemic tired," he said.

Update from January 30, 12:38 p.m

.: On the subject of

AstraZeneca

,

Karl Lauterbach (SPD) is

now also throwing

his hat into the ring: Even if the group of over 65-year-olds in the studies was small, it was also

highly effective

for them

of the

vaccine

based on previous studies and experience with other vaccines, Lauterbach told the

world

.

He also tweeted on Friday: “Based on the strong

antibody production

, I think it is extremely unlikely that it will have too little effect on people over 65.

An important addition for everyone! "

+

Hello at a distance: Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (right) and SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

Development Minister Müller: Poor countries also need corona vaccine this year

Update from January 30th, 11:33 a.m

.: The

GroKo

is currently

under attack

because of the

vaccination start in Germany

(here is the current Münchner-Merkur comment * on the subject)

.

"I think this discussion is excessive,"

says Federal Development Minister

Gerd Müller (CSU)

.

He advises Germans

not to ignore

the

global consequences of

the corona pandemic

in the debate

.

“Of course we have to do everything we can to vaccinate ourselves as soon as possible.

At the same time, however, we have to

invest

in the expansion of

global production capacities

, ”he told the

Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung

.

Dispute over corona vaccines - Development Minister: "Europe does not see the extent of the consequences"

Countries like

South Africa

, for example, have good prerequisites for producing vaccines for Africa, said Müller.

However,

25 billion euros

were missing

to vaccinate

at least

20 percent of

the population in

developing countries

.

The vaccine must also be available to the

poorest

.

"Not sometime, but this year."

To do this, Germany would have to increase its share of global vaccination funding to

one billion euros

this year

.

"That would be an important sign of international solidarity." Worldwide, the corona pandemic triggered a dramatic hunger, economic and poverty crisis, said Müller.

"Sometimes I have the impression that we in Europe don't see the extent of the consequences."

+

Development Minister Gerd Müller (archive picture) calls on Europe to participate more in global vaccination financing.

© Britta Pedersen / zb / dpa

Corona vaccine: Stiko chairman defends age limit for AstraZeneca vaccine

Update from January 30th, 10:31 am

: Why

only give the

AstraZenca vaccine

to those

under 65

?

The

Stiko- Chairman Thomas Mertens

has recommended his body age requirement

(see our initial report of 29 January below)

now defends.

The AstraZeneca

data

are not sufficient

to be able to assess

the

vaccination effectiveness

in the older group, he said on Friday evening at a video switch of the Science Media Center.

More information is needed on how well the vaccine

protects

them from

Covid-19

.

The

virologist

added that his institute

would

update

their recommendations after submitting more data

.

At the same time, he stressed that the

safety of

the vaccine was beyond doubt.

The Stiko vaccination committee is based at the

RKI

.

+

A can of the AstraZeneca vaccine against Covid-19

© LAKRUWAN WANNIARACHCHI / AFP

Corona vaccines: EU exempts Northern Ireland from export controls

Update from January 30th, 8.37 a.m.:

There was a brief escalation in diplomatic relations between the

EU

and the

United Kingdom

.

On the Irish island it was suspected on Friday that Brussels wanted to introduce border controls between the Republic of Ireland and the British Northern Ireland.

The dispute was triggered by efforts to control the export of

corona vaccines

from the EU more closely.

The EU now wants to take a closer look after the manufacturer AstraZeneca cut its deliveries.

After an escalation in Northern Ireland (see update from January 29th, 10:27 p.m.) Prime Minister Boris Johnson and EU Commission President von der Leyen had to smooth things over.

Ursula von der Leyen announced that they were “in principle agreed” on Twitter during the night.

Accordingly, there should continue to be no

restrictions

on the

export

of corona vaccines as long as companies meet their contractually agreed delivery obligations.

Previously, the impression was created that the EU wanted to control the Irish border, as only emergency protocols actually provide.

In the course of the

Brexit

negotiations, however, it was agreed that no controls should take place at this border in order

not to endanger

the fragile peace in the former civil war region of

Northern Ireland

.

Corona vaccine: EU dispute as an "act of hostility"?

Update from January 29th, 10:27 pm:

Northern Ireland's

Prime Minister Arlene Foster

accuses

the

EU of

an

“act of hostility”

.

The background is the dispute over the

AstraZeneca corona vaccine

.

By controlling exports of vaccines produced in EU countries, the EU is creating a

hard border

between Northern Ireland and Ireland, as the Northern Ireland Protocol is actually supposed to prevent, Foster wrote on Twitter on Friday evening.

This is an "incredible act of hostility" and an

"aggressive and shameful procedure"

.

She will

call

on Prime Minister

Boris Johnson

to act.

The part of the country is

tied more closely to the EU

due to the

Northern Ireland Protocol negotiated

during

Brexit

and continues to follow the rules of the EU internal market.

In the course of the dispute over delivery cuts by the vaccine manufacturer Astrazeneca, the EU announced on Friday that it

would closely monitor

the

export of vaccines in future

and, if necessary, stop them.

Pharmaceutical companies that have also concluded supply contracts with the EU will have to

apply for

export permits in

future

.

The

WHO

had also criticized this approach.

"This is a worrying trend," said Mariangela Simao, who is responsible for medicines and vaccines, in Geneva on Friday.

"This is not good for public health or any country."

After a dispute with the EU - AstraZeneca suddenly changes course

Update from January 29, 7.48 p.m.:

After harsh criticism and a full-

blown

dispute with the

EU

, the

pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca

suddenly

strikes a

conciliatory tone.

"We are working 24/7

to increase capacities,

" said AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot on Friday evening in a video link with journalists.

Everything is being done to speed up the production of the vaccine and

to deliver

many vaccine doses to Europe as quickly as possible

.

In the next few days, the first batch with the first million cans will be delivered.

In addition, supply chains should be further upgraded and "material" should be relocated to Europe - Soriot did not want to give details.

Soriot described the initial problems as "teething troubles" that will soon be resolved.

In the past few days,

tensions

between the British-Swedish manufacturer and the EU had come to a head.

Because AstraZeneca announced that it would deliver fewer doses of its vaccine than had been agreed.

The

delivery bottlenecks

seemed to be limited to the EU, however, in

Great Britain

and other non-EU countries no reduction in doses had been announced.

EU Commission officially approves AstraZeneca vaccine for Europe

Update from January 29, 7:35 p.m.:

The

corona vaccine from

the British-Swedish manufacturer

AstraZeneca

can now also be used in the European Union.

The EU Commission

granted approval

, as announced by

Ursula von der Leyen

, head of the Commission

.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had previously recommended conditional approval.

The approval of the EU Commission is considered a formality.

+

AstraZeneca's vaccine has been approved for the EU.

© JUSTIN TALLIS / AFP

Astrazeneca vaccine: In Germany only recommended for people between 18 and 64 years of age

Update from January 29, 6:35 p.m.:

The

Standing Vaccination Commission

(Stiko) recommends

the use of the

AstraZeneca

corona vaccine

for

Germany

only for people aged

18 to 64 years.

The

Robert Koch Institute (RKI)

published this recommendation

on its website on Friday evening.

According to Stiko,

there is not

yet

sufficient data

to

assess the effectiveness of the vaccination in older people

.

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) had previously recommended approval of the Astrazeneca vaccine for the EU.

It had waived a restriction for use in the elderly.

Apart from the age restriction, Stiko also classified the vaccine from the British-Swedish group as "suitable for

individual protection

and for

combating the pandemic

".

However, this assessment does not change

the

vaccination sequence

for the Stiko.

In the respective phases, the Astrazeneca vaccine is to be administered to people aged 18 to 64 years.

The EU made a serious glitch with the publication of the contract with AstraZeneca

Update from January 29, 5:52 p.m.:

The

EU Commission made

a

serious

glitch

when it published its framework agreement with the

vaccine manufacturer Astrazeneca

on Friday

.

The passages in the document that had been blackened out at the company's request were

partially readable

in a first version using the bookmark function of Acrobat Reader

.

It was a technical error, it was said from the commission.

The published version was later replaced.

Astrazeneca initially reacted cautiously to the incident.

“We are aware of the reports in the media.

We have no further comments at this point, ”said a spokeswoman for the company in

Germany

.

The Commission had urged publication of the contract.

The background to this is the dispute over the

cut

announced by Astrazeneca

in the delivery of corona vaccine to the EU

in the first quarter.

EU & Astrazeneca: That is in the blackened passages of the contract

Specifically,

according to

Focus.de

, the

originally blackened passages

also contain

information that was previously hardly known.

The planned value of goods for the manufacture of the vaccine is around

870 million euros

.

If these costs are exceeded on delivery, Astrazeneca must not incur any loss.

In addition, Astrazeneca has undertaken to conclude manufacturing contracts with other companies if the contractually agreed delivery quantities cannot be met.

If the

price increases by over 20 percent

, this must be made verifiable.

In return, the EU has committed to pay 336 million euros.

Two thirds of this amount was transferred in August.

What is new is that the balance must be paid as soon as Astrazeneca

has

proven

that

the first installment has been

used.

In addition, according to

Focus.de

, the commission had to

submit

binding orders from the member states

30 days after the contract came into force

.

After arguments: EMA gives Astrazeneca vaccine the green light

Update from January 29, 4:20 p.m.:

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) has

recommended

conditional marketing authorization for the corona vaccine of the British-Swedish group Astrazeneca

in the EU.

It applies to people aged 18 and over, the EMA announced on Friday in Amsterdam.

The EU Commission now has to make the final decision on approval - this is a matter of form.

In addition: The EU can in future

monitor

exports of

corona vaccines

and limit them if necessary.

The

European Commission

had adopted a corresponding "export authorization" on Friday, the Commissioner for External Trade Commission Vice Valdis Dombrovskis said in Brussels.

All pharmaceutical companies that have concluded supply contracts with the EU for corona vaccines must therefore register future deliveries to third countries in Brussels.

Vaccine manufacturer Astrazeneca: criticism is intensifying - news from US company Johnson & Johnson

Update from January 29th, 3:20 p.m.:

While the criticism of vaccine manufacturer AstraZeneca is increasing, there is news from the US company

Johnson & Johnson

.

The company's corona vaccine candidate has an effectiveness of 66 percent.

The vaccine avoids serious illnesses up to 85 percent.

The company said on Friday after the completion of its phase 3 clinical study. Almost 44,000 people took part.

In contrast to the previous vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna,

only

one dose is

required

with the product from

Johnson & Johnson

.

"Our goal was to create a simple and effective solution for as many people as possible,"

Alex Gorsky

, general manager of Johnson & Johnson told the

Financial Times

.

The vaccine may be less effective with the South African variant of the coronavirus: In the clinical tests in South Africa, the effectiveness was 57 percent.

There, 95 percent of all Covid 19 diseases were due to the South African variant B.1.351.

Corona vaccine: EU blacks out important passage in AstraZeneca contract

Update from January 29th, 2:15 p.m.:

The EU Commission published its framework agreement with the

pharmaceutical company AstraZeneca

on Friday

.

However, important passages of the document have been redacted with reference to trade secrets.

This also includes the delivery quantities planned for the first quarter.

This caused harsh criticism of AstraZeneca

(see first report).

The EU Commission welcomed the company's willingness to be more transparent.

This is important to build trust among Europeans and ensure that they can rely on the effectiveness and safety of

corona vaccines

in the EU.

The Commission hopes to be able to publish all contracts with vaccine manufacturers.

Corona in Germany: 2.2 percent of the total population received the first vaccination

In Germany, 1,799,481 people have received their

first vaccination

since the start of the corona

vaccination

.

That corresponds to 2.2 percent of the total population.

416,646 people already received the second vaccination.

On January 28, 94,112 vaccinations were carried out in Germany (data status: January 29, 10:50 a.m.).

“Underground!” World Medical Director Montgomery railed - is there a new vaccination sequence in Germany?

Our first report from January 29th:

Munich - “The behavior of AstraZeneca is underground,” said

World Medical President Frank Ulrich Montgomery

to the editorial network Germany (RND).

The corona infection and death rates are still at a high level.

Last but not least, different virus variants are causing a stir.

The vaccine is one of the high hopes in the pandemic.

But vaccine

manufacturer AstraZeneca in

particular

has received a lot of criticism.

Vaccine maker AstraZeneca under fire - Montgomery calls for export ban

On Friday (January 29), the

AstraZeneca

vaccine,

the

third corona vaccine *

, is to be approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA).

It follows the vaccines from

Biontech / Pfizer *

and

Moderna

.

But AstraZeneca is heavily criticized across Europe.

The background: of the 80 million cans originally promised for Europe, only 31 million are to be delivered.

"It cannot be that the company keeps its delivery promises for Great Britain exactly", criticized Montgomery and continued, "for the EU but only delivers a fraction of the promised vaccine doses." Soil is produced, you have to give the company

forbid extraditing him outside the EU. "

Von der Leyen criticizes vaccine manufacturers - contract with companies to be published

EU Commission President

Ursula von der Leyen

had also accused AstraZeneca of not keeping the delivery promises.

The EU's contract with the company was “crystal clear” and “clear delivery quantities” had been agreed, the politician said on Friday on Deutschlandfunk.

To prove this, the contract should be published as soon as possible.

AstraZeneca boss Pascal Soriot

justified the delays with the fact that the EU concluded its supply contract three months later than Great Britain.

In addition, his company has not committed itself to fixed delivery quantities, but only to "do your best" as part of a so-called "best effort clause".

Von der Leyen confirmed that there was such a clause in the contract, but it only applied for the time the

vaccine was being developed

.

“That time is behind us, the vaccine is here.” In addition, the vaccine manufacturer had given assurances “that no other obligations would prevent the fulfillment of this contract” - and therefore no earlier contract with Great Britain.

Vaccine debate in Germany: Esken calls for a new sequence of vaccines

Meanwhile, another critical point about AstraZeneca's vaccine is causing a stir.

In Germany, the drug is expected to be administered only to people under 65 years of age.

This emerged from a recommendation by the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko).

The committee justified this by stating that “currently insufficient data” were available to assess the vaccination effectiveness of the agent in people aged 65 and over.

In view of this, SPD leader

Saskia Esken

demanded

consequences.

"We now have to immediately procure alternative vaccines for people over 65 and, on the other hand,

re-coordinate

the

vaccination sequence

for the AstraZeneca vaccine that will arrive shortly," Esken told the newspapers of the Funke media group.

“Above all, hospital and nursing staff should be the first to benefit from the resources that are now available,” she demanded.

New vaccine from US manufacturer - effectiveness of almost 90 percent

Another

vaccine manufacturer

has reported success in the

fight against the coronavirus

.

The US pharmaceutical company

Novavax

has announced a high rate of effectiveness of its corona vaccine candidate.

As the company announced on Thursday, the agent had shown an effectiveness of 89.3 percent in the third and final study phase in test subjects in Great Britain.

The vaccine is also said to be effective

against

virus mutations *

, but to varying degrees.

The EU is also considering delivery by

Novavax

.

Like AstraZeneca, the compound has the advantage that it does not have to be stored at temperatures as low as the vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna.

Meanwhile, RKI boss Wieler said on Friday: "The more we vaccinate, the more mutations will occur."

* Merkur.de and hna.de are part of the nationwide Ippen digital editorial network (dpa / mbr)

List of rubric lists: © Yves Herman