After months of vaccine shortages, corona vaccines are now available in abundance in Germany.
But what happens to cans that are not needed?
Munich - Germany is facing another dilemma in the Corona * crisis.
While vaccines against serious Covid-19 * diseases were a scarce commodity in the first half of the year, they are now available in abundance.
Because the production of the pharmaceutical companies has long since really picked up speed, meanwhile the vaccination campaign in this country has probably stalled because of the vacation time.
This mixed situation means that cans have to be destroyed *.
And this at a time when the poorer countries are almost left with nothing when it comes to vaccines.
In Africa, for example, there is hardly a nation in which much more than one percent of the population is immunized.
Vaccines in Germany: Rapid immunization in other countries will also help
Which will also have consequences for life in Germany *, because experts repeat like a prayer wheel: The pandemic can only be defeated and ended all over the world.
There is currently a risk of further SARS-CoV-2 mutations * in many regions, which could spread quickly.
So it is also in the interest of every German citizen that vaccines are quickly available in Afghanistan, Nigeria or Mozambique.
Which is why it only seems logical to pass on the preparations that are not required here.
But with all the bureaucracy that doesn't seem to be so easy.
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Are hardly needed anymore: The vaccines from Astrazeneca are now to be donated.
© Nicolas Armer / dpa
Vaccines in Germany: The federal government apparently did not respond to information from Bavaria
A spokeswoman for the Bavarian Ministry of Health is
quoted
in the
Tagesspiegel
as saying that "the federal government has been advised several times of the problem of the expiring vaccine and asked to set up a process to prevent vaccine doses from expiring and, if necessary, to pass them on to third countries".
However, Berlin did not respond appropriately and apparently, as so often in this crisis of affairs, waited.
It was already heavily criticizing the forced disposal of the vaccines.
Michael Theurer, deputy head of the FDP * parliamentary group, spoke of a "debacle".
For Saarland's Ministry of Health Monika Bachmann from the CDU * it is even a "deadly sin".
Vaccines in Germany: The federal government now wants to enable vaccine donations to other countries
But now something seems to be stirring.
The federal government gives the federal states the option of “vaccine doses that are no longer used in the national vaccination campaign and whose storage allows them to be passed on to third countries as part of donations”.
The Astrazeneca * preparation, which has hardly been contaminated because it was disparaged early in Germany, will soon go on tour.
Lower Saxony wants to send 120,400 cans back to the federal government, Hamburg is planning around 60,000, and the city of Berlin will add 62,400.
North Rhine-Westphalia, Schleswig-Holstein and Bavaria also want to at least examine participation.
The durability could be problematic.
According to the
Tagesspiegel,
4,000 cans are
expiring
in Baden-Württemberg alone these days.
They will probably have to be disposed of, because the political mills will hardly grind that fast.
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Going to travel soon: Johnson & Johnson products are not in great demand in Germany.
© Timothy D. Easley / dpa
Vaccines in Germany: From August, superfluous preparations are to be dispensed
After all, the Federal Ministry of Health is now also announcing that it intends to donate at least 30 million Corona vaccine doses to countries in need by the end of the year.
In addition to Astrazeneca, the active ingredient from Johnson & Johnson * will also play a major role.
"The coordinated repatriation will take place from August," said a spokesman according to
Tagesspiegel
.
However, a contract still has to be drawn up with the manufacturers and the donation recipients.
The Federal Government will use the Covax initiative, which endeavors to ensure that the preparations are distributed equally and fairly around the world.
At least 80 percent of the German vaccine donations should be handed over this way.
The others are aimed at countries in the Western Balkans, Namibia as a former German colonial area and countries in the Eastern Partnership, including Armenia, Azerbaijan and Ukraine.
There are other important steps to be taken to step out of the long shadow of the pandemic.
(mg) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
List of rubric lists: © Timothy D. Easley / dpa