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Vaccination center in Halle (Saale) in Saxony-Anhalt
Photo:
Hendrik Schmidt / dpa
SPIEGEL:
Ms. Grimm-Benne, all over Germany there are cases of local politicians who have pushed their way through the vaccination sequence.
In Halle, for example, Lord Mayor Bernd Wiegand and city councilors had themselves vaccinated.
What can the state government do about it?
To person
Icon: enlarge Photo: Ronny Hartmann / dpa
Petra Grimm-Benne
(SPD), born in 1962 in Wuppertal, has been Deputy Prime Minister in Saxony-Anhalt and Minister for Labor, Social Affairs and Integration since 2016.
From 2002 to 2016 she sat as a member of the Saxony-Anhalt state parliament.
Before starting her political career, she worked as a lawyer.
Grimm-Benne:
I've known the case for a few days.
As the Ministry of Health, we have the technical supervision.
We asked the mayor for an opinion, I forwarded it to the president of the state administration office and asked him to examine disciplinary and local supervisory steps against the mayor in Halle.
Bernd Wiegand said he had special leeway.
I don't see any leeway.
But that now has to be checked legally.
SPIEGEL:
How many such cases have there been in Saxony-Anhalt in the meantime?
Grimm-Benne:
We cannot say exactly yet.
But we assume that there are very few cases.
Most local politicians have lived up to their responsibilities.
SPIEGEL:
Very few cases?
In Halle, the number of people who were vaccinated out of sequence is almost 600.
Grimm-Benne:
Wait a minute.
In most cases it is about vaccine residues, doses that have to be vaccinated quickly at the end of the day because they only have a short shelf life and that should also be vaccinated in hospitals.
So these are not just officials who have deliberately pushed their way forward, who benefit from these so-called leftovers.
Nevertheless, the number of vaccine residues that Halle refers to is very high.
It accounts for about four percent of the city's total vaccination.
"I don't want to do a witch hunt."
SPIEGEL:
Could there be a systematic approach behind this?
Grimm-Benne:
That has to be checked.
But the mayor's statement that he was selected by a random number generator sounds a bit unusual, of course.
However: As Minister of Health, I do not want to organize a witch hunt.
I want to act correctly and distribute the scarce vaccine appropriately.
So far, only 12.4 percent of the over 80 year olds here in Saxony-Anhalt have been vaccinated.
More than two thirds of the inpatient and outpatient services received the first vaccination.
In view of these numbers, it is clear: politicians who push ahead are acting against the Federal Vaccination Ordinance, and they are acting irresponsibly.
SPIEGEL:
By when will you be through with the first group in Saxony-Anhalt?
Grimm-Benne:
We are aiming for February 28 for inpatient care facilities, that is our goal.
Some cities are already through.
Magdeburg, for example, is making very good progress.
The competition between Halle and Magdeburg is well known - and a vaccination competition as an incentive is not bad at all.
SPIEGEL:
The question arises from other parties why you haven't noticed more quickly what is going on.
Doesn't your ministry also provide data on who was vaccinated?
Grimm-Benne:
If you look at the ordinances at the federal level, you will see: The vaccination centers report to the Robert Koch Institute, we as a country get a minimal set of data.
So we have no insight.
I am counting on the state administration office's examination to reveal what went wrong in Halle.
"It cannot be ruled out that the Russian vaccine could also be produced in Saxony-Anhalt."
SPIEGEL:
Can the government stipulate sanctions against vaccinators in the vaccination ordinance?
Grimm-Benne:
The vaccination ordinance is aimed at the health authorities.
We are all called to abide by law and order.
In our constitutional state, imposing a fine on one's own authority is generally not provided for.
The state administration office is responsible for this.
There is also the possibility of sanctions, ranging from admonitions to salary cuts or even removal from office.
At the same time, the debate on fines is now being conducted at the federal level.
SPIEGEL:
In Saxony-Anhalt, vaccines are even produced.
AstraZeneca wants to manufacture its vaccine in Dessau in the future ...
Grimm-Benne
(laughs): Unfortunately, I can't hijack that for our state.
SPIEGEL:
Many citizens wonder why production is running so slowly.
Will the Russian vaccine soon be produced in Saxony-Anhalt?
Grimm-Benne:
First of all: Vaccine has been bottled here for a long time, even if not the Russian one.
The state government, i.e. the Ministry of Economic Affairs, has done a lot here to accelerate this process.
It cannot be ruled out that the Russian vaccine could also be produced in Saxony-Anhalt.
It's not my area of expertise, but I've heard there should be talks about it.
SPIEGEL:
In Thuringia and Saxony, the incidences were much higher for months than in Saxony-Anhalt.
Do you have an explanation as to why the virus is raging worse among the neighbors?
Grimm-Benne:
We have seen a heavy wave in Saxony-Anhalt over the past few months, and nobody knows exactly how the mutation will affect us here.
Saxony had to struggle with a wave from the Czech Republic, Thuringia was also burdened from the south.
So we were a little more lucky and were even able to take in patients from Saxony.
However, the situation in the region has by no means relaxed.
SPIEGEL:
In Saxony-Anhalt, the shutdown was extended to March 10, three days longer than the Prime Minister and Chancellor decided.
Why does Saxony-Anhalt differ here?
Grimm-Benne:
That is only for organizational reasons, because we in the cabinet always decide on the weekend.
Saxony-Anhalt does not dance out of line here.
It is also clear to us that if the situation should improve surprisingly faster, we could relax sooner.
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