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In response to the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency (EMA), Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has approved the further use of AstraZeneca's corona vaccine - albeit with warnings.
The vaccinations with the preparation should be resumed on Friday, said Spahn on Thursday evening in Berlin.
Those willing to vaccinate should then be informed about possible risks in updated information sheets.
There is a "special duty of care towards those willing to vaccinate," said Spahn.
"Citizens can rely on being informed transparently." After the vaccinations were suspended on Monday, it is now important to make up for four lost days, said the minister.
Now it is a matter of "that we continue vaccinating quickly".
The president of the Paul Ehrlich Institute responsible for vaccines, Klaus Cichutek, said an audit found that the benefits of continued AstraZeneca vaccinations outweigh the risks.
Those willing to vaccinate should be warned about risks - especially about specific symptoms that could indicate a thrombosis.
This is a "very rare event," said Cichutek.
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After reports of the occurrence of severe blood clots in some vaccinated people, Germany and several other European countries had stopped vaccinations with the British-Swedish manufacturer's vaccine for the time being.
On Thursday, after a review, the EMA declared the vaccine "safe and effective" and found that there was no evidence of an increased risk of blood clots from the drug.
The authority also referred to individual cases in which rare, "but serious coagulation disorders" had occurred after vaccinations with AstraZeneca.
A connection with the vaccination could "not finally" be ruled out.
The product information for the vaccine will now be adapted accordingly.
The suspension of the AstraZeneca vaccinations was a setback for the vaccination campaign in Germany, which was already criticized as sluggish.
In many countries, appointments in the vaccination centers have been suspended until there is clarity about the usability of the preparation - and thus about the doses available.
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The federal and state governments originally wanted to discuss an acceleration of the vaccination campaign on Wednesday.
One topic should be the greater involvement of general practitioners.
After the vaccination with the Astrazeneca vaccine was suspended on Monday, the conversation was postponed.
It should now take place on Friday afternoon.
Greens are calling for a stronger focus on EMA
After the decision of the EMA, the Green health politician Janosch Dahmen called for political decisions to be more closely aligned with this authority.
"In the future, far-reaching decisions about vaccines should be made in accordance with the recommendations of the authority responsible for the approval of vaccines - the EMA," said Dahmen WELT.
In contrast, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) decided to temporarily suspend vaccinations with the AstraZeneca active ingredient before an EMA decision.
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Dahmen described the fact that the EMA declared the vaccine safe on Thursday and demanded patient information about conceivable risks as "very good news".
What is now important is "a communication offensive to restore confidence in the AstraZeneca vaccine".
In addition, “the immediate resumption of vaccinations in Germany must be initiated”.
The FDP health politician Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus also welcomed the EMA decision and now described it as the "primary task of the federal government to ensure that the medical practices are finally on board".
Germany could “no longer afford another delay,” said Aschenberg-Dugnus WELT.
Therefore, the vaccinations with the vaccine from AstraZeneca should "be resumed immediately", and "after days of vaccination standstill" must "now be done to ensure that this safe vaccine does not cause any lasting damage to the image".