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DOCTORS

GPs in Germany will soon be able to ‘choose the Covid vaccine’ they offer patients

Starting later this month, family doctors will be able to order the specific vaccines and amount of doses - rather than being allocated it from the government, German media reported on Friday.

Published: 16 April 2021 13:22 CEST
GPs in Germany will soon be able to 'choose the Covid vaccine' they offer patients
A doctor's practice in Brandenburg carrying out injections. Photo: DPA

GPs will be able to “order the specific Covid vaccine” they want to offer people, said the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), according to the Rheinische Post.

“You state on the prescription which vaccine you need and how many doses,” the KBV reportedly said.

The federal government will provide family doctors with the choice of vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and AstraZeneca.

The order quantity per doctor is limited to 18 to 30 Pfizer doses and 10 to 50 AstraZeneca doses for the first week.

It is likely to come into force from April 26th.

The North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association welcomed the move, saying it would help make sure fewer doses are wasted.

“This could also prevent the vaccine from being left in the practice’s refrigerators,” said the head of the association, Thomas Preis. “We will advise doctors to order both vaccines if possible,” he added.

At the moment doctors are allocated a vaccine by the government without choice.

Germany’s vaccine rollout is picking up pace since doctor’s practices starting carrying out jabs.

Health Minister Jens Spahn said on Thursday that 50,000 medical practices had announced a need for vaccines for the coming week. Last week there were 35,000 GPs giving out shots, and this week 45,000.

The country administered a record 758,173 injections on Wednesday.

In total, about 18.5 percent of the population has received at least one jab. 

READ ALSO:

What’s happening with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine?

The delivery of the single-dose Covid vaccine to the European Union was postponed this week due to the US investigating reports of rare blood clot cases after the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

The US urged its health authorities to pause the rollout. However, US health experts believe it will be used again soon.

Germany is waiting for 10 million doses of the vaccine.

COMPARE: The different strategies in Europe used to vaccinate against Covid-19

Berlin vaccination centre closes for two weeks

In other vaccine news, the Berlin vaccination centre at Tempelhof is closing for two weeks from April 21st, reported the Tagesspiegel.

The centre has been using the AstraZeneca to inoculate patients. But now that this vaccine is only for use in the over-60s age group, authorities believe it is no longer worth giving it out in the centre.

During the break the centre is to be refurbished so that BioNTech/Pfizer vaccines can be administered in future.

Due to the properties of the vaccine, special cooling systems are required. In the future, AstraZeneca will only be used by GPs, the federal government said.

Vocabulary

To choose/select/pick out (something) – auswählen

Prescription – (das) Rezept 

Order quantity – (die) Bestellmenge 

Vaccination centre – (das) Impfzentrum 

We’re aiming to help our readers improve their German by translating vocabulary from some of our news stories. Did you find this article useful? Let us know.

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HEALTH

Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

It’s back again: amid sinking temperatures, the incidence of Covid-19 has been slowly rising in Germany. But is this enough to merit worrying about the virus?

Published: 20 September 2023 12:05 CEST
Updated: 20 September 2023 22:22 CEST
Could there be a new wave of Covid-19 in Germany this autumn?

More people donning face masks in supermarkets, friends cancelling plans last minute due to getting sick with Covid-19. We might have seen some of those familiar reminders recently that the coronavirus is still around, but could there really be a resurgence of the virus like we experienced during the pandemic years?

According to virologists, the answer seems to be ‘maybe’: since July, the number of people newly infected with Covid-19 has been slowly rising from a very low level.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), nine people per 100,000 inhabitants became newly infected in Germany last week. A year ago, there were only around 270 reported cases.

Various Corona variants are currently on the loose in the country. According to the RKI,  the EG.5 (also called Eris) and XBB.1.16 lines were each detected in the week ending September 3rd with a share of just under 23 percent. 

The highly mutated variant BA.2.86 (Pirola), which is currently under observation by the World Health Organisation (WHO), also arrived in the country this week, according to RKI. 

High number of unreported case

The RKI epidemiologists also warned about a high number of unreported cases since hardly any testing is done. They pointed out that almost half of all registered sewage treatment plants report an increasing viral load in wastewater tests.

The number of hospital admissions has also increased slightly, but are still a far cry from the occupation rate amid the pandemic. Last week it was two per 100,000 inhabitants. In the intensive care units, only 1.2 percent of all beds are occupied by Covid-19 patients.

Still, a good three-quarters (76.4 percent) of people in Germany have been vaccinated at least twice and thus have basic immunity, reported RKI. 

Since Monday, doctors’ offices have been vaccinating with the adapted vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, available to anyone over 12 years old, with a vaccine for small children set to be released the following week and one for those between 5 and 11 to come out October 2nd.

But Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has so far only recommended that people over 60 and those with pre-existing conditions get vaccinated.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: Who should get a Covid jab this autumn in Germany?

“The pandemic is over, the virus remains,” he said. “We cannot predict the course of coming waves of corona, but it is clear that older people and people with pre-existing conditions remain at higher risk of becoming severely ill from Covid-19”

The RKI also recommended that people with a cold voluntarily wear a mask. Anyone exhibiting cough, cold, sore throat or other symptoms of a respiratory illness should voluntarily stay at home for three to five days and take regular corona self-tests. 

However, further measures such as contact restrictions are not necessary, he said.

One of many diseases

As of this autumn, Covid-19 could be one of many respiratory diseases. As with influenza, there are no longer absolute infection figures for coronavirus.

Saarbrücken pharmacist Thorsten Lehr told German broadcaster ZDF that self-protection through vaccinations, wearing a mask and getting tested when symptoms appear are prerequisites for surviving the Covid autumn well. 

Only a new, more aggressive mutation could completely turn the game around, he added.

On April 7th of this year, Germany removed the last of its over two-year long coronavirus restrictions, including mask-wearing in some public places.

READ ALSO: German doctors recommend Covid-19 self-tests amid new variant

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