Great Britain has worked its way up to the corona vaccination primus in Europe, while the EU falls short of its claims.
But what does Boris Johnson do differently?
London - While the vaccination programs against the corona virus in Germany and most of Europe are making slow progress, Great Britain has blossomed into a vaccination primer.
But what does Boris Johnson do differently from the EU?
An overview.
Corona vaccinations in Great Britain: jubilation over "fantastic success"
Boris Johnson was celebrating when it was announced this weekend that half of all adults in Great Britain had been vaccinated against the coronavirus.
Almost 27 million people received a first dose of the vaccine, and a good two million received the second injection.
Johnson's Conservative Party hailed a "fantastic success".
The
Sunday Times also
cheers and speaks of a "remarkable vaccination program" that many countries would envy the UK and that "shows a sustainable way out of the disaster".
Corona vaccinations in the UK: what is Johnson doing differently?
One reason for the success in Great Britain is that the British are only occasionally waiting for vaccine deliveries, while the EU is almost desperate because of the bottlenecks.
This, in turn, is also due to the fact that the UK itself hardly exports any vaccine.
But that's not the only reason the UK is doing so well right now.
An overview of what is going differently and sometimes better in Great Britain than in Germany:
General practitioners and pharmacies:
everyone who can vaccinate will do the same - the British approach can be summarized as simply.
In addition to the vaccination centers, general practitioners have also been able to vaccinate for months.
Numerous pharmacies are even approved.
"The majority of vaccinations are given by general practitioners," says medical doctor Azeem Majeed from Imperial College London.
The British are inventive with their vaccination centers: they also remodel empty stadiums, racetracks, shopping malls and even churches like the famous Westminster Abbey.
Notices via the family doctors:
The British are usually registered with the national health service NHS with a number - and thus with a family doctor in their area.
In addition to the official letter from the NHS, GPs also contact their patients directly by SMS or phone when it is their turn to vaccinate.
Anyone who does not receive a notification but is still there according to the official vaccination sequence will receive an appointment without an invitation.
Corona vaccinations in Great Britain: appointments, vaccination interval and storage
Appointments: Vaccination appointments
can be booked online in the centers using a nationwide uniform booking system.
There are usually several locations to choose from, and exact times can also be booked.
If you prefer to be vaccinated by your family doctor, you sometimes have to wait a little longer, but you can also make an appointment there - usually by telephone.
Anyone who has been notified but does not book an appointment does not get out of sight.
The so-called immunization management service follows up by phone call.
You also get SMS with an appointment reminder sent to your mobile phone.
No storage:
The British - unlike often in Germany - do not put back the second dose of vaccination.
What is in the refrigerator is also vaccinated.
They trust that enough vaccine will still be available when the second appointments come.
So far, it has paid off - but the country is less affected by delivery bottlenecks than the EU.
Only a few days ago there was the first report that a few million cans from Indian production were coming later.
Distance between first and second vaccination:
Great Britain relies on greater distances between first and second dose.
With the
Astrazeneca vaccine, other countries are now doing the same after further data on its effectiveness were published.
However, the British are also stretching the interval at Biontech / Pfizer - and thus providing a larger part of their country with partial immunity from the first dose.
Dealing with remaining doses:
"We do not waste any vaccine," says doctor Majeed.
Doctors' offices keep lists of patients who can come to the office quickly if there are left vaccine doses in the evening.
So there are always people who are vaccinated even though it is not actually their turn - but at the right time in the right place.
Germany also wants to use its order more pragmatically in the future than before.
The Astrazeneca case:
While a number of EU countries temporarily suspend rare side effects such as blood clots because of very rare cases, the British continued to vaccinate.
The British regulatory authority called on people with long-lasting side effects to seek advice from a doctor.
However, the government consistently insists that the benefits of vaccination are far greater than the risks.
The government medical
advisor
Jonathan Van-Tam says: "Vaccine does not save lives if it is in the refrigerator."
(Rjs / dpa)
