Some federal states already administered the new vaccine at the weekend, but demand is apparently limited. Meanwhile, NRW Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst warns of a new wave in autumn.
Just under a week after the start of vaccinations with the new Novavax vaccine, around 13,200 doses from the US manufacturer have been administered as initial vaccinations in Germany.
This comes from data from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Friday (as of Thursday). According to the RKI vaccination dashboard, a total of around 130,000 vaccinations with various vaccines were administered in Germany on Thursday. Compared to the previous week, that was a drop of around 27,000 doses.
Novavax’s Nuvaxovid is a protein vaccine – a different technology than the mRNA preparations from Pfizer and Moderna that have mostly been used up to now, and which some people have concerns about. The first federal states had already administered the new vaccine at the weekend, and others followed suit in the course of the week.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach explained that the preparation cannot currently be “really successfully” vaccinated. “Of course we try, we fight for it,” said the SPD politician on Thursday evening in an online discussion of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. In the meantime, however, the “incitement” of this vaccine by opponents of vaccination on social media has progressed so far that it cannot really be placed. The only way to make significant progress is a general obligation to vaccinate.
The Federal Ministry of Health still sees no nationwide easing of the corona infection situation in Germany. It looks like the fifth wave has actually peaked in the majority of the federal states – but this does not apply to everyone, said a spokesman on Friday in Berlin. Overall, the incidence is still quite high, and in some federal states the incidences continued to rise.
Lauterbach continues to urge caution
Minister Karl Lauterbach called for further caution in the Corona course in spring. “We have to be vigilant,” said the SPD politician in an online discussion of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians. It is correct that the currently dominant omicron virus variant is not as dangerous as the delta variant. Due to the higher number of infected people, there is still a level of around 200 deaths a day. “It’s not a stable condition.”
Lauterbach reiterated that even after the federal and state governments decided to abolish all far-reaching corona restrictions on March 20, “certain basic protective measures” would still be necessary. The ongoing consultations on a new nationwide legal basis for this are therefore about something that will enable “an immediate response” to a possible renewed deterioration in the corona situation.
Wüst warns of a possible next corona wave in autumn
Regardless of the Ukraine war, according to Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), the danger of the corona pandemic must not be lost sight of. “It’s time to prepare for what can still come,” said Wüst on Friday after a visit to the Düsseldorf University Hospital together with the head of the Corona crisis team in the Chancellery, Major General Carsten Breuer. Basic protection, such as the obligation to wear masks and distance rules, must also be guaranteed in the future, said Wüst, with a view to the end of the corona protection measures planned by the federal and state governments from March 20th. «It is clear: The next wave can roll towards us in autumn or winter. All the experts tell us that and we have to be prepared for that,” warned Wüst.
Vaccination is the way out of the crisis, emphasized the head of government. For those who had previously hesitated, the Novavax vaccine is now on the market. However, there was also a “surprisingly high number” of people who did not take the booster vaccination, said Wüst.
According to the RKI, 75.5 percent of people in Germany (at least 62.8 million people) have received basic protection, which usually requires two injections. Nationwide, 57.3 percent (47.6 million) also received a booster vaccination. 76.4 percent (63.5 million people) have been vaccinated at least once.
The RKI has long pointed out that the numbers shown are to be understood as minimum vaccination rates. The institute assumes that the actual vaccination rate is up to five percentage points higher than indicated on the dashboard.
Source: Stern
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