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Berlin (dpa) - Despite growing pressure for a quick start in Germany's medical practices, a strong surge for corona vaccinations is likely to drag on for several weeks.
In the absence of forecasts by some manufacturers, the federal government still has no certainty about the exact vaccine deliveries in April, as Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) announced on Friday.
Chancellor Angela Merkel (CDU) and the Prime Minister want to set the timetable for the practices this Wednesday.
Federal President Frank-Walter Steinmeier warned not to complicate rapid vaccination with too many regulations.
The aim of the federal government is "to bring the vaccine to the citizens as quickly as possible in a combination of vaccination centers and general practitioners," said their spokesman, Steffen Seibert.
For this purpose, advice must be given on how to organize the entry of general practitioners into the vaccination campaign from the beginning or middle of April.
The federal and state health ministers are aiming for this by the week of April 19 at the latest - or earlier if the delivery quantities allow.
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Spahn said that there had to be enough vaccine for a widespread start in practices.
Countries insisted on getting 2.25 million vaccinations per week in their regional vaccination centers in April.
Therefore, it is a simple calculation why another vaccine worth millions is necessary for the start in practices: If 50,000 practices took part and limited themselves to the small amount of 20 vaccinations per week, they would already need a million doses.
But practices are already being involved in vaccinations - for example in Berlin, Western Pomerania, Hamburg and Saarland.
This is done so that cancer patients, for example, can be vaccinated by their own doctor.
However, there are uncertainties about the quantities of vaccines.
"We do not yet have all the delivery dates for the next month from all manufacturers," said Spahn, referring to Astrazeneca and Moderna.
In the entire second quarter, 60 million cans should come to Germany - 40 million of them from Biontech / Pfizer, of which there is current data.
Spahn campaigned for understanding of the lack of further forecasts: the manufacturers produced around the clock.
There is no storage.
Any uncertainty in the process could mess up plans.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, 12.5 million cans from the three manufacturers have been delivered to the federal states so far.
2.7 million people or 3.3 percent of the population are fully vaccinated.
Almost 6 million people have received at least one of the two necessary vaccinations.
The federal government expects around 7 million cans in the three weeks or so until the end of March.
According to Spahn, a good 9 million doses of the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer can be expected in April.
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Deliveries of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson, which were approved on Thursday, are not realistic until mid / late April at the earliest.
Spahn welcomed the fact that the EU Commission was following up on the US manufacturer.
After all, the EU had already made an advance payment of 300 million euros in October for capacity building.
Problems with Johnson & Johnson's delivery start in Europe have to do with the fact that the USA may not allow the export of vaccines filled there.
Steinmeier warned against black painting and too many rules.
Vulnerable groups must first be vaccinated, he said at a digital congress of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.
In Germany, they want to do it particularly well, secure every measure with countless rules.
«A little more pragmatism would do us good.
Especially when more vaccine is available in the coming weeks. "
Spahn emphasized that even in medical practices, the sequence of vaccinations for groups at risk cannot be dispensed with right away.
In the case of previous illnesses, however, the resident doctors decide anyway, as the head of a vaccination center in North Rhine-Westphalia, Anke Richter-Scheer, explained.
For example, a young woman with thyroid dysfunction will be vaccinated later than an older man with pulmonary fibrosis, even if both are in a priority group.
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Medical President Klaus Reinhardt spoke in the "Deutsches Ärzteblatt" in favor of dispensing with time-consuming testing procedures to ensure compliance with the sequence as quickly as possible.
The President of the German Association of General Practitioners, Ulrich Weigeldt, called for the end of the vaccination centers in the “Augsburger Allgemeine” (Friday): “You may work through the vaccination appointments that are still booked there, but parallel to this, the field of vaccinations must finally be available to resident doctors be left. "
The practices could start immediately.
Spahn is critical of the temporary suspension of Astrazeneca vaccinations in Denmark, Norway, Iceland and Thailand.
"I regret that on this basis, as of Friday morning, some countries in the European Union have suspended vaccination with Astrazeneca," he said.
"With what we know so far, the benefit (...) is far higher than the risk."
Denmark suspended vaccinations after a death and a few serious illnesses caused by blood clots after vaccination.
However, it is unclear whether there is a connection between the vaccine and the clots, as the head of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, emphasized.
Spahn referred to the success of the major campaign.
"We have already been able to vaccinate most of the citizens in the nursing homes," he said.
"Many of the over 80-year-olds have already been vaccinated or have a vaccination appointment soon."
In view of the increasing number of infections, he urged caution in the corona crisis.
One still has to be prepared for “some very challenging weeks”.
© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210312-99-798432 / 3
Dashboard
Speech by Federal President Steinmeier
Notice from the Ministry of Health
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National vaccination strategy
KBV to involve the practices in the vaccination campaign
Federal government on Corona
Conference of Health Ministers
Press release of the EU Commission from March 10th, 2021