According to Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn, Germany has sufficient doses to implement the Stiko recommendation for cross-vaccination. It will now "be able to go very quickly," said Spahn after consultations with the health ministers of the federal states in Berlin on Friday. The CDU politician emphasized that there was sufficient mRNA vaccine from the manufacturers Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna. In addition, a primary vaccination with the vector vaccine from the manufacturer Astrazeneca has become more attractive. "We have many doses of Astrazeneca that are being delivered to us these days," said Spahn, emphasizing that many people who want to be vaccinated can be given an initial vaccination.
The head of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, was also involved in the deliberations of the federal and state health ministers. Mertens "made it very clear" that the cross-vaccination from Astrazeneca and Biontech / Pfizer or Moderna "brings with it a very, very high level of vaccination protection," reported Spahn. The minister pointed out that with the recommendation of the Stiko, the second vaccination could take place after four weeks. This means that full vaccination protection can also be obtained against the Delta variant relatively quickly.
If a third vaccination against the coronavirus is necessary in autumn, Germany would have the required amount of vaccines for this, too, emphasized Spahn. "We will have enough vaccine to be prepared for all recommendations." As of Thursday, 55.1 percent of Germans are now vaccinated once, 37.3 percent have been vaccinated twice and are thus completely protected, as Spahn explained.