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The new uncertainty about the vaccine AstraZeneca is great, but at least some relieving news comes from Remscheid.

The North Rhine-Westphalian city is spared from delays in the vaccination process and massive missed appointments for the time being.

“In Remscheid there will be no cancellation of vaccination appointments.

We are in the favorable position that the next 140 vaccination appointments with AstraZeneca are only planned for the coming weekend, "said Thomas Neuhaus (Greens), head of the city's Covid crisis team, WELT.

This leaves enough time to react to the latest developments.

The 140 affected Remscheid residents have already been informed by email that the primary vaccination will continue and that the Biontech vaccine is available as a replacement.

According to the city, the vaccination center in Münster will remain in operation “during Easter, as it has been up to now, every day, the vaccinations and all previously booked appointments will continue to be implemented”.

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It looks similar in many places nationwide.

The federal states have reacted to the developments and suspended the AstraZeneca vaccinations for under 60-year-olds - but this is unlikely to have any noticeable effect on the appointments for the time being.

The federal and state governments refer to a current recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) at the Robert Koch Institute, according to which AstraZeneca should initially only be administered to people aged 60 and over without restrictions.

Younger people can continue to be vaccinated with it after consulting a doctor and at their own risk.

Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) called it a “setback”, SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach only spoke of a “small dent”.

The reason for this new assessment are cases of blood clots in cerebral veins.

AstraZeneca stop - "That won't throw us back"

AstraZeneca vaccinations have been stopped for those under 60.

SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach believes that no vaccine will be left behind.

Health Minister Jens Spahn also sees advantages for those over 60.

Source: WORLD / Perdita Heise

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The Stiko relies on new data available on the occurrence of "rare but very severe thromboembolic side effects" that occurred four to 16 days after vaccination, predominantly in women under 60 years of age.

In mid-March, the AstraZeneca vaccinations were stopped for a few days and started again after new checks.

According to the Paul Ehrlich Institute, 2.7 million people in Germany had received an initial vaccination with AstraZeneca by Monday.

For the second quarter, Minister Spahn expects 15 million cans from AstraZeneca, out of a total of 70 million expected.

Is the AstraZeneca skepticism now growing strongly among the elderly?

The German Teachers' Association assesses the change in age limits at AstraZeneca as a "catastrophic setback for the vaccination of teachers, which is just getting underway".

Against this background, association president Heinz-Peter Meidinger called for a quick opportunity for teachers under 60 to be vaccinated with Biontech and soon with Johnson & Johnson.

"If this exchange does not take place immediately, there will be nothing with the vaccination of teachers in April."

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It becomes particularly difficult in those vaccination centers where the schedule can only be kept by changing the vaccines according to the new Stiko age regulation.

Older people entitled to vaccinate who were supposed to get AstraZeneca instead of the Biontech vaccine that had actually been announced this Wednesday would understandably initially have reacted “disappointed”, reports Dirk Heinrich, head of the central vaccination center at the Hamburg exhibition center.

There is now a "significantly increased need for discussion".

A good tenth of those affected who were eligible for vaccination did not have a vaccination because of the vaccine exchange.

According to Heinrich, the skepticism is medically unfounded.

"There is no increased risk for people over 60 years of age through vaccination with AstraZeneca."

For all other age groups, too, the risk of triggering a sinus vein thrombosis through vaccination is significantly lower than the risk of cerebral haemorrhage after taking an aspirin tablet.

The concerns about AstraZeneca are now "out of proportion," says Heinrich.

It remains unclear how things will continue in the next few weeks - above all, the new age rule is likely to have again severely damaged general confidence in the vaccine.

Some of those who were already eligible for vaccination were skeptical of AstraZeneca even before the decision was made, says Markus Brandau, the head of the central Kiel vaccination center at the Schwedenkai.

There have been "people who do not come to AstraZeneca appointments" for a long time.

It was not yet clear whether this tendency would intensify.

Also at the Schwedenkai, where an average of 600 vaccinations are administered per day, all appointments could be kept on Wednesday.

All those under the age of 60 booked on AstraZeneca were vaccinated with Biontech instead.

In the over 60-year-olds, the uncertainty has increased noticeably - the bottom line, however, outweighs in most cases the relief that they have finally been vaccinated.

According to the assessment of Remscheid's Covid crisis leader, Thomas Neuhaus, the “much more pressing question” is what the planned second vaccinations at AstraZeneca look like.

"That must now be clarified quickly by the federal and state governments, and much earlier than at the end of April, otherwise there will be additional uncertainty," said Neuhaus.

"As in other municipalities, there are numerous employees from the educational, educational and medical professions, police officers and rescue workers who have received their first vaccination with AstraZeneca," says Neuhaus.

In Remscheid, the appointment bookings for the second vaccination will remain in place for the time being.

Countries hope that deadlines can be met

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The fact that the new turn does not affect the vaccination campaign that has just started is mainly due to the fact that Biontech is delivering more vaccine in some places these days than the authorities had expected.

The AstraZeneca vaccine debacle

The vaccine from AstraZeneca should now only be given to people over 60 years of age.

Chancellor Merkel and Health Minister Spahn defend this decision.

According to Merkel, the findings on side effects could not be ignored.

Source: WELT / Achim Unser

In

Bremen,

for example, all vaccination appointments could be held because “a load of Biontech arrived” on Tuesday, as a spokesman for the local health authority put it.

"That saved us."

In

Schleswig-Holstein

and

Lower Saxony,

the state governments do not expect any major delays either.

"Certain irritations", according to Stefanie Geisler, spokeswoman for the Ministry of Health in Hanover, are to be expected, but could in all probability be compensated for by additional Biontech deliveries.

In Kiel, too, the Ministry of Health assumes that all vaccination appointments can be kept.

The prerequisite, however, is that promised deliveries actually arrive on site.

In the future, people younger than 60 years of age will only be provided with vaccines from Biontech and Moderna, people over 60 could continue to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca.

North Rhine-Westphalia

is also confident that it will be able to continue its vaccination campaign as planned.

In the most populous state, eight "serious incidents" in connection with AstraZeneca are to be mourned, including five deaths.

The deceased were younger than 60 years.

In

Hesse

, around 12,500 citizens with appointments in the 28 vaccination centers nationwide are affected.

Instead of AstraZeneca, they are supplied with Biontech and Moderna.

"The change is uncomplicated and unbureaucratic on site in the vaccination centers," emphasized the State Chancellery in Wiesbaden.

In

Brandenburg

, the dates for first vaccinations this week are at least secured by the alternative administration of Biontech.