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NRW Prime Minister Armin Laschet (CDU)
Photo: Federico Gambarini / dpa
After indications of possible side effects, the corona vaccinations with the AstraZeneca vaccine have been stopped for the time being in many European countries - including Germany.
Following new reports of cerebral vein thrombosis in connection with the vaccination in Germany and Europe, the Paul Ehrlich Institute (PEI) considers further investigations to be necessary.
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) called the vaccination ban a "pure precautionary measure".
In politics, the sudden suspension arouses amazement - and raises new questions.
According to CDU boss Armin Laschet, the vaccination ban will mess up the vaccination plans.
"That will change many strategies again," said the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister on the ZDF program "What now, Mr. Laschet?"
“We have insisted that we will vaccinate very quickly, very broadly, and even give the substance to the general practitioners.
And now he's no longer there, at least not for the next few days. ”Politicians have to react again here.
In North Rhine-Westphalia, the vaccinations were stopped immediately and the citizens were informed.
Criticism of the temporary vaccination ban came from the SPD.
The NRW state chief Thomas Kutschaty describes Jens Spahn to SPIEGEL as "no longer acceptable".
He demands the dismissal of the health minister.
"Has that bothered anyone so far?"
Other comrades also criticize Spahn.
"I think that's a mistake," said the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach the ZDF.
Confidence in AstraZeneca will continue to decline, "there are no new data to justify the stop."
The leader of the Social Democrats, Norbert Walter-Borjans, has also criticized the suspension of vaccination with AstraZeneca's vaccines as "a new setback".
This decision is "difficult because it creates a lot of uncertainty," he told ZDF.
»To say head over heels a week in advance that the risks are smaller than the benefits, and then a few days later, when everyone is preparing for the vaccination, to say: 'Well, that's too hot for me now' , does not testify to a level-headed, over-arching policy. "
His party friend, the SPD European politician Katarina Barley, also expressed herself irritated.
"The latest generation of birth control pills has thrombosis as a side effect in eight to twelve out of 10,000 women," she wrote on Twitter.
"Has that bothered anyone so far?"
"Mr. Spahn has to explain his erratic U-turn," demanded FDP parliamentary deputy Michael Theurer in Berlin.
This also includes the question of why the decision will be announced immediately after the state elections on Sunday and whether new data is available, Theurer said.
The FDP politician pointed out that the European Medicines Agency Ema classifies the previously known cases of thrombosis as "statistically completely normal" and recommends using the AstraZeneca vaccine.
Spahn said the decisions were made based on new findings from the Paul Ehrlich Institute - and were not of a political nature.
He spoke of seven reported cases out of 1.6 million first vaccinations with AstraZeneca in Germany.
The Ema will decide whether and how the new findings will affect the approval of the vaccine, the minister said.
Spahn is hoping for a decision this week.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, a total of 3,062,400 doses of Astrazeneca vaccine had been delivered to Germany by Sunday.
Spahn recommended those vaccinated with AstraZeneca to consult a doctor immediately if they had significant symptoms.
This applies in particular to people who felt increasingly uncomfortable more than four days after the vaccination, who suffered from severe headaches or "punctiform skin bleeding".
Noticeable accumulation of cerebral vein thrombosis
When analyzing the new data, the PEI found a noticeable accumulation of a special form of very rare cerebral vein thrombosis in connection with a lack of blood platelets and bleeding close to vaccinations with AstraZeneca.
The federal government initially waived the suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccinations after Denmark took this step on Thursday.
This was followed by Norway, Iceland and the EU countries Bulgaria, Ireland and, on Sunday evening, the Netherlands.
Austria, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania and Luxembourg suspended the use of a certain AstraZeneca batch, Italy and Romania stopped the use of another batch.
The British-Swedish manufacturer of the vaccine rejected the concerns.
Co-developer Andrew Pollard, head of the Oxford Vaccine Group, said Monday that there was "very reassuring evidence" that the vaccine in the UK - so far its main use in Europe - has not led to an increase in blood clots.
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svv / mrc / AFP