The acting Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn defended the much-criticized limitation of order quantities for the corona vaccine from BioNTtech. “I know that this short-term change means a lot of additional stress for many committed helpers on site in the doctor's offices and vaccination centers. And I expressly regret that, ”said the CDU politician to the German press agency on Saturday. The demand for BioNTech has risen so strongly in the last two weeks that the warehouse is empty very quickly. In the new week alone, almost six million doses would be delivered to the vaccinating agencies. That is more than there has ever been in Germany in terms of booster vaccinations.

The announcement by the Federal Ministry of Health that it would limit deliveries of the BioNTech vaccine has provoked fierce opposition from politics and the medical community.

Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania's Prime Minister Manuela Schwesig (SPD) expresses her lack of understanding of Spahn's approach.

"We all have to take a real step forward now, and for me that doesn't mean Biontech vaccine quota, but there should continue to be freedom on site to be able to vaccinate with Biontech or Moderna," said the SPD politicians on Saturday the arrival to the coalition negotiations in Berlin.

"It's time for Spahn to leave"

The Bavarian Health Minister Klaus Holetschek described the measure as "absolutely unacceptable". You destroy the necessary trust that the citizens "must have in us in this highly dramatic situation," he told the German press agency. This is not only unacceptable for the vaccination centers, but above all for the medical profession, who have geared all planning towards it. Holetschek, who is also chairman of the conference of health ministers (GMK) of the federal states, now wants to put this on the agenda of the GMK deliberations planned for Monday.

The Schleswig-Holstein Health Minister Heiner Garg (FDP) criticized that the Managing Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) rationing BioNTech, of all things, the vaccine with the highest acceptance among the population.

"It's time he left," said Garg on Saturday at the state party conference in Neumünster.

The SPD health politician Karl Lauterbach said with a view to the announced limitation of BioNTech deliveries.

“We can't afford that at the moment.” Especially since many people in Germany would particularly trust the BioNTech vaccine.

Pediatricians warn of "lack of reliability"

The paediatricians in Lower Saxony warned that the "lack of reliability" in the vaccine delivery would lead to immense problems in the vaccination consultation hours of doctors in private practice. Tilman Kaethner, regional chairman of the professional association of paediatricians BVKJ pointed out that many practice owners had planned vaccination campaigns for weekends. These plans would be overturned by the restrictions, said Tilmann on Saturday.

The Deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Michael Theurer described the announcement by the Federal Ministry of Health as a "bad joke".

Massive vaccinations are needed to ensure the booster effect in the short term and to increase the vaccination rate.

“Defining maximum quantities here is absolutely counterproductive and sends a completely wrong signal.

Everything that can be inoculated must be inoculated. "

The Greens health expert Janosch Dahmen wrote on Friday evening on Twitter: “We shouldn't do that!

We don't need anything but a handbrake when vaccinating. ”The BioNTech vaccine is particularly well tolerated by young people.

"The choice between different vaccines also plays a role in the decision for the important first vaccination."