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Corona vaccine: After delivery problems - Biontech starts production in Marburg

2021-02-10T08:40:14.588Z


After a bumpy start to vaccination in Germany, there is good news. Biontech is massively expanding its production. The group is increasing its capacity - in Germany. All information in the news ticker.


After a bumpy start to vaccination in Germany, there is good news.

Biontech is massively expanding its production.

The group is increasing its capacity - in Germany.

All information in the news ticker.

  • Biontech starts vaccination production in Marburg (Hessen)

    (see update from February 10th, 9.11 a.m.).

  • According to a new study, the Astrazeneca vaccine has vaccination problems with the South African coronavirus variant.

  • The corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer works against the corona variants from South Africa and Great Britain

    (see update from February 8, 7.40 p.m.)

    .

  • This news ticker is updated regularly.

Update from February 10th, 9.11

a.m.: Biontech starts vaccine production in Marburg.

An important signal.

It was only in mid-January that production operations at the Pfizer plant in Belgium were shut down due to renovation work.

That had caused delivery bottlenecks and frustration in Germany.

The Mainz-based company Biontech took over the Marburg plant from the Swiss pharmaceutical company Novartis a few weeks ago.

The plant still had to be converted for vaccine production.

The production site in Marburg with 300 employees belongs, as

swr.de

reports, to a pharmaceutical park where several pharmaceutical companies are located.

Update from February 9, 5:20 p.m

.: Do the

corona vaccinations save

the risk of

serious side effects

?

A German virologist is now clearing up - with a striking Covid-19 comparison (see link).

Corona vaccinations: WHO continues to believe in the Astrazeneca vaccine

Update from February 9th, 8:22 am

: The WHO and the Covax initiative warn against writing off the Astrazeneca vaccine prematurely - for that it was "much too early", the head of the research alliance Cepi told journalists on Monday.

In the fight against the coronavirus, it is "absolutely crucial" to use all available means "as effectively as possible".

Cepi, the vaccination alliance Gavi and the WHO jointly lead the so-called Covax initiative, which is committed to the fair distribution of corona vaccines in developing countries.

In the first half of the year, Covax plans to distribute more than 337 million corona vaccine doses in a total of around 145 countries - almost all of the doses should come from Astrazeneca.

Recently, however, studies had cast doubts about the effectiveness of the preparation.

Several European countries - including Germany - have so far only approved the vaccine for those under 65, because there is a lack of reliable data on the effectiveness of the vaccine in older people.

South Africa even announced that it would postpone the start of its vaccination campaign.

Studies on Astrazeneca vaccine "worrying" - but too little data so far

WHO chief Tedros Adhanom Ghebreyesus described the study results as "clearly worrying".

At the same time, he referred to some "important reservations" about the study.

So it was small with only 2000 participants.

The WHO's head of vaccines, Kate O'Brien, also pointed to other studies that had shown that the Astrazeneca vaccine could protect against severe courses of Covid-19 - including infections with mutant B, which was first discovered in South Africa .1.351.

Corona: Spahn against earlier vaccination of teachers - Land stops vaccinations with Astrazeneca vaccine

Update from February 8, 8:45 p.m.:

The EU Commission has ordered up to 300 million additional doses of the corona vaccine from the manufacturer Biontech / Pfizer.

This was announced by a commission spokesman.

The Commission accepted a second deal with the companies on Monday.

According to this, 200 million cans are firmly ordered, Brussels has an option for another 100 million.

The first 75 million doses of this second vaccine order are to be delivered in the second quarter, according to the EU Commission.

The rest of the corona vaccine will then be available until the end of 2021.

Biontech / Pfizer: Vaccine works against corona mutations from South Africa and Great Britain

Update from February 8th, 7.40 p.m.:

According to a current laboratory study, the corona vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer works against the corona variants that first appeared in South Africa and Great Britain.

According to the

dpa

, the

companies announced on Monday

that the data had been published in the journal

Nature Medicine

.

The laboratory showed that the blood of 20 people vaccinated with the corona vaccine neutralized the key mutations of the virus variants, i.e. that there were sufficient neutralizing antibodies in the blood. 

Update from February 8, 4:50 p.m.:

The British government considers doubts about the Astrazeneca vaccine to be inappropriate despite an apparently reduced effect against the South African Corona variant.

Vaccine State Secretary Nadhim Zahawi wrote in a guest post in the

Telegraph

on Monday that the vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer as well as that from Astrazeneca are apparently effective against the variants that have so far prevailed in Great Britain

.

"A vaccine that is less effective in preventing infections may still be effective in preventing severe disease, hospitalization and death," Zahawi said.

Corona vaccination in Germany: Spahn against earlier vaccination of teachers and educators

Update from February 8, 3:56 p.m .:

"The new vaccination regulation comes into force today," said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn at a press conference in Berlin.

If there are vaccine doses left in the evening, the vaccination requirement can now be deviated from. "Throwing away" is not an option.

However, one still has to find a system for this.

The minister did not provide any further details.

With regard to the corona mutations, Spahn referred to the effectiveness of all corona vaccines.

"Really serious illnesses can - as of February 8th at noon - be avoided", says Spahn.

There will be no choice in the vaccine.

Prioritizing teachers and educators for the corona vaccination is currently also not an option, explained Spahn.

Even after the changed Corona vaccination regulation that came into force on Monday, teachers and daycare workers are only in priority group three.

With schools, the question is: "Are schools hubs for the virus?" If this is the case because people from many households come together, parents should actually be vaccinated too.

"That requires vaccination doses in a number that we don't have now in February," said Spahn

Corona: South Africa stops vaccinations with the Astrazeneca vaccine

Update from February 8, 10:59 a.m.:

After a study indicates a limited effect of the Astrazeneca vaccine against the corona variant that has surfaced in the country, South Africa has stopped planned vaccinations with the vaccine for the time being.

Studies on the Astrazeneca active ingredient in South Africa have shown that the clinical effectiveness is significantly reduced, said Am Salim Abdool Karim, the head of the government's corona advisory committee.

"So the introduction of the Astrazeneca vaccine has to be temporarily suspended," said Karim.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said more work needs to be done to understand the problem.

The South African government now wants to accelerate the introduction of the corona vaccine from Johnson & Johnson.

Corona vaccination: Lauterbach with the next Astrazeneca damper

Update from February 8, 8:59 a.m

.: While there is already a dispute about priority for certain corona vaccines in this country, South Africa is

postponing

the start of its AstraZeneca vaccination campaign.

Health Minister Zweli Mkhize said on Sunday that the questions arising from a current investigation would have to be clarified.

According to the study, the vaccine is not fully effective against the South African mutation called B.1.351 (the one found in the UK is called B.1.1.7).

On Monday, SPD * health expert Karl Lauterbach also warned of this: “While Astra is still 75% effective in B.115, the effect drops to 10% (!) In B.1351.

Therefore, Astra vaccination was stopped in South Africa.

Also no protection through pre-infection.

We have to look specifically for B.1351! ”Tweeted the politician.

+

SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach (center) gesticulates during a conversation with Interior Minister Horst Seehofer and Health Minister Jens Spahn in the Bundestag.

© Kay Nietfeld / dpa

Next Astrazeneca damper: Corona vaccine shows only limited effect against the South African variant

Our first report from February 7th

: Munich - Despite the partly falling incidence values, numerous politicians and scientists do not yet dare to demand massive corona easing.

The fear that the

virus mutations from Great Britain

and especially from

South Africa will

rage in Germany

is too great

.

Too great concern about a third wave.

New study results regarding the effectiveness of the

Astrazeneca vaccine

seem to give these concerns new breeding ground.

Because according to study data from the Universities of Oxford and Witwatersrand, the vaccine has

only a very limited effect

in the

South Africa variant

(B.1.351)

.

According to the data, the vaccine works in severe disease processes, but

the

effect is significantly reduced

in

mild and moderate diseases

.

Astrazeneca wants to publish the survey results on Monday - the "Financial Times" already reported on the study.

Astrazeneca vaccine not effective in South African corona variant?

The study leaves questions unanswered

According to the report, however, there are cuts in the meaningfulness of the results, because on the one hand

only 2000 test subjects took

part in the study and on the other hand the majority of the test subjects were

young and healthy

.

Furthermore, the data from the study must first be checked by independent experts.

“We believe that our vaccine can protect against serious illness because the activity of neutralizing antibodies works in the same way as other Covid-19 vaccines that work against more severe illness - especially when the interval between the two doses is optimized to eight to twelve weeks is ", a spokesman for Astrazeneca is quoted in the report of the" Financial Times ".

Astrazeneca with the next damper - adapted vaccine should be available in autumn

After the

delivery squabble with the EU

and the bad news that initially only people under 65 years of age should be given the Astrazeneca vaccine, the current study results represent

the next damper

on the part of the Swedish-British vaccine manufacturer Corona mutation B.1.1.7 discovered to be effective.

In order to be able to use the vaccine against the South African corona mutant in the future, it should

be adjusted

accordingly, according to the pharmaceutical company

.

According to a company spokesman, the adapted vaccine could then probably be delivered in the fall.

With regard to the South African Corona variant, other vaccine manufacturers will probably have to make adjustments.

According to dpa, the mutant, also known under the name 501Y.V2, has also

shown to

be

significantly more resistant

in tests by other manufacturers

.

(kus)

List of rubric lists: © Soeren Stache / dpa

Source: merkur

All news articles on 2021-02-10

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