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VACCINES

German cabinet approves decision to open up vaccines to all starting on Monday

Starting on Monday, coronavirus vaccinations will be available to everyone in Germany regardless of their priority group, according to an official government decision.

German cabinet approves decision to open up vaccines to all starting on Monday
A woman in Berlin receives a vaccine with Moderna on May 17th. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

Germany’s federal cabinet officially approved the decision on Wednesday, which Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) is set to announce. 

Currently priority groups 1-3, which include those over 60 and with pre-existing conditions, are eligible for one of four vaccines in Germany: Pfizer/BioNTech, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson. 

GPs can give the latter two vaccines to all adults who want one, although appointments can be hard to come by. 

But starting on June 7th through the new ‘Vaccination Ordinance’, all people over the age of 12 will be able to book an appointment for all four vaccines, either through a vaccine centre or with a doctor, be it a GP or specialist.

Vaccine drives are also planned around the country, including possibly at schools for pupils.

READ ALSO: EXPLAINED: How can people in Germany get a Covid vaccine appointment?

More vaccines at work

The move is also set to make vaccinations of employees through their companies possible on a broad scale.

Germany’s Ministry of Health said last week that more than 6,000 company doctors had now placed an order for Covid-19 vaccinations.

They were to receive 702,000 doses of the vaccine from BioNtech/Pfizer in the second week of June – each a promised minimum of 102 doses.

According to Spahn on Wednesday, there have now been more than 50 million Covid-19 vaccinations carried out in Germany so far: 36.5 million (44 percent) have received at least a first jab, and 15.6 million (or 19 percent) have full protection. 

“We expect up to 25 million more vaccinations in June,” he wrote on Twitter. Previously Spahn predicted that 90 percent of those who want a vaccine would be able to have one by mid-July

Spahn went on to say that, in the future, the government also wants to ensure that a capacity of 600 million to 700 million vaccine doses are set aside for the event of future Covid outbreaks – both for use in Germany or other parts of the world. 

The government will place tenders with terms of five years. An annual reservation fee will be paid by the manufacturers to ensure production of the vaccine in the event that it’s needed.

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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?

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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