After the number of infections has risen, the vaccination rate has also been slowly increasing recently.
Health Minister Spahn suddenly wants to boost mostly with Moderna, which is causing a lot of criticism.
Berlin - The current corona situation in Germany continues to worsen.
For the first time there are over 60,000 new infections nationwide, but a general vaccination requirement should not come.
Instead, Health Minister Jens Spahn is relying on the continuation of the current vaccination program and thus also the booster vaccinations.
But now there is a turning point in the course: Spahn wants to freshen up with Moderna instead of the usual Biontech-Pfizer.
Spahn's announcement for the booster vaccination: Moderna instead of Biontech-Pfizer
Jens Spahn initially called for a higher vaccination speed for both the first and third stitches at the federal press conference on Friday, according to the
Bild
newspaper.
Accordingly, around 25 million people should be boosted by the end of the year.
The choice of the vaccine will not be free, however, but one must increasingly rely on Moderna instead of Biontech-Pfizer.
So far, almost 90% of the vaccines administered have been from Biontech.
This means that 5.6 million booster vaccinations have now been given, the Minister of Health said on Twitter.
This week, 1.7 million citizens have already been "boosted".
This means that a total of 5.6 million booster vaccinations were given in 🇩🇪.
The pace continues to pick up, thanks to everyone who helps to keep it up!
- Jens Spahn (@jensspahn) November 20, 2021
According to dpa, a “maximum order quantity” is to be defined for Biontech for the changeover.
This means a maximum of 30 doses per week for medical practices and a maximum of 1020 doses per week for vaccination centers.
However, there are no restrictions for Moderna.
According to Spahn, this is the only way to guarantee a low-threshold vaccination offer to combat pandemics in the next few weeks.
Video: Spahn can no longer rule out a lockdown despite vaccination
Corona vaccination: Booster from Moderna instead of Biontech - reason for criticism
The reason why people now choose Moderna for the booster vaccination is simply the expiry date. Is from the middle of the first quarter of 2022 fell Moderna cans, which means "to prevent by all means," said Spahn Secretary loud
bild.de
. The supply must therefore be used up urgently. Both Moderna and Biontech are equivalent for the booster, but representatives of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians fear a “high need for explanation” to patients regarding possible side effects of Moderna. There is simply no time for that in the practices, the association's vice-president told dpa.
There is also a lot of criticism from politics against Spahn's decision.
For the Bavarian Health Minister Holetschek, the planned limit is "unacceptable" as it damages the citizens' trust in the vaccine.
The Green politician Janosch Dahmen also thinks that a selection of different vaccines is an important factor in the decision on the initial and booster vaccination.
Booster vaccination with Moderna: Karl Lauterbach finds Spahn's decision "incorrect"
SPD politician Karl Lauterbach also thinks Spahn's plan to boost primarily with Moderna in the future is “not right”.
“Because many people in Germany trust the Biontech vaccine in particular.
It is also produced in Germany, ”said Lauterbach on Deutschlandfunk.
He also considers a discussion about the general compulsory vaccination, as it is currently causing loud protests in Austria, to be “not productive”.
Trust in the vaccination is the key to combating the corona pandemic.
(mef / dpa)
