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Mainz (dpa / lrs) - In Rhineland-Palatinate, the dates for corona vaccinations in the vaccination centers are fully booked until the middle of next month.

Health Minister Sabine Bätzing-Lichtenthäler (SPD) said on Tuesday in Mainz, people over 80 and other members of the population group with the highest risk should still register.

As soon as more vaccine is available, further dates will be activated - even before mid-February.

In addition, appointments could become free because someone cancels.

According to the ministry, 78 402 people have already had vaccination appointments in one of the state's 31 centers.

Another 71 395 are registered and will get their two appointments as soon as some are available.

So far, the federal government has given binding commitments to deliver vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer by mid-February - 273,000 doses.

When it will be the turn of around 20,000 immobile people is still open.

According to current knowledge, the vaccine from the US manufacturer Moderna is - contrary to what was expected - not suitable for vaccination at home, because for biomicrological reasons it cannot be transported once the first dose has been taken, explained state vaccination coordinator and State Secretary Alexander Wilhelm (SPD) .

"There is currently no vaccine that can be vaccinated at home."

The federal and state governments worked together to find a solution.

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There is still no approval for a third vaccine: The Swedish-British pharmaceutical company Astrazeneca applied for it to the European Medicines Agency (EMA) on Tuesday.

According to current knowledge, this preparation is only suitable for people up to 55 years of age, said Bätzing-Lichtenthäler.

The first cans are expected at the end of January / beginning of February, and up to 500,000 are to be delivered in the first quarter - for 250,000 people.

Rhineland-Palatinate is catching up with the vaccinations in the ranking of the federal states: Around 36,500 people (as of Monday) have now been vaccinated.

According to the health minister, this is 8.9 per 1000 inhabitants - slightly more than the national average of 8.3.

These include almost 19,500 people from old people's homes: almost 10,100 of them are residents, the other employees.

With an information campaign, the state government wants to increase the willingness of employees in nursing to vaccinate.

Unlike Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU), Bätzing-Lichtenthäler spoke out against compulsory corona vaccination for nursing staff.

"We want to convince people with arguments."

Hans-Josef Börsch from the Landespflegekammer said: "The higher the information rate, the greater the willingness to vaccinate."

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The first 3,600 doses of the second approved vaccine, Moderna, arrived on Tuesday, the minister said.

This would vaccinate particularly vulnerable employees in the hospitals.

A total of 52,800 vaccine doses were promised by the end of February - enough for 26,400 people.

Most of the people in the group who received their syringes with the vaccine in the vaccination centers would have made the appointment via online registration (around 132,700).

If you can't get through the call center by phone, you should try a different time - appointments by phone are possible on weekdays from 7 a.m. to 11 p.m.

The emails that are sent after registration contain a confirmation link that must be used within 72 hours.