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Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has promised a vaccine against the corona virus suitable for children and adolescents for this summer.

There is currently no vaccine approved for children and adolescents, said Spahn, who was online as a guest at the Hessian Union's first-year retreat on Friday evening.

The vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer is approved from 16 years of age, the other two vaccines from Moderna and Astrazeneca from 18 years.

This is a problem especially for children and adolescents with previous illnesses.

There are a number of manufacturers who have run studies with children and adolescents, he knows for sure from three or four manufacturers.

"We assume, toi, toi, toi, if things go well, that we will also have a vaccine in the summer that can protect children and adolescents."

Spahn admitted the vaccination campaign had a difficult start at the end of December.

"Somehow the expectation was greater, in retrospect you might have had to do even more expectation management," said the minister.

"After six weeks of discussing prioritization, scarcity, the ethics council and the Bundestag in December, I thought that it was somehow clear that it would be difficult at first."

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After the start of the vaccination, in view of the pandemic fatigue, “the expectation was suddenly very, very high”, “that it will now go very, very quickly”.

The path has begun, "but there is still a long way to go," said Spahn.

At least the next nine to ten weeks are likely to be characterized by a severe shortage of vaccines, "and then things will definitely get better in the second quarter," said Spahn.