In future, people who were vaccinated with the Astra Zeneca vaccine as the first dose will receive an mRNA vaccine such as Biontech or Moderna as the second dose. This was recommended by the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko). Health Minister Jens Spahn is speaking in front of the press about the decision on how politicians will deal with the recommendation.
The experts at Stiko justify this advice by stating that the immune response after the administration of two different preparations – first vector, then mRNA vaccine – is “clearly superior” to the immune response after two doses of Astra Zeneca. Experts speak of a heterologous vaccination schedule. Stiko had previously only recommended this to younger people who had already received an initial vaccination with Astra Zeneca before this vaccine was only recommended for those aged 60 and over who would like to be vaccinated.
The Stiko emphasized that in view of the significantly more contagious Delta variant, it was important to “take the second vaccine dose on time”. After just one dose of vaccine, protection against Delta appears to be “significantly reduced”. The protection against severe disease courses by Delta is similarly good after full vaccination compared to protection against other corona variants, it said, citing data from the United Kingdom. (07/02/2021)
RKI: The seven-day incidence continues to decrease slightly
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reports 649 new corona infections. That is 125 cases less than on Friday a week ago. The seven-day incidence continues to drop to 5.0 from 5.1 the previous day; a week ago it was 6.2. The value indicates how many people per 100,000 inhabitants have contracted the coronavirus in the past seven days. 69 other people died related to the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 91,007 within 24 hours. In total, more than 3.72 million corona tests have so far been positive in Germany. (07/02/2021)
For the first time, medical practices are getting sufficient corona vaccine
Germany’s medical practices are likely to receive the amount of corona vaccine they have ordered for the first time in the coming week. That said the chairman of the board of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, Andreas Gassen, of the German Press Agency in Berlin. With around 2.3 million doses ordered nationwide, the practices would have requested fewer vaccines than were available. The practices still need sufficient vaccine.
For the coming week, the medical practices nationwide ordered around two million vaccination doses of Biontech – although they could have ordered 2.2 million. 325,000 cans were ordered from Astra Zeneca, 1.1 million would have been ready. Business Insider reported about it first.
Gassen said that since the start of the vaccination campaign against the coronavirus, the contract doctors have regularly received significantly less vaccine than they needed. Now the holidays made themselves felt in more and more federal states. Many patients and doctors are on vacation. More and more people are also vaccinated. “Nevertheless, the rush in most medical practices is unbroken.” Many practices are still in the process of working through the long waiting lists. (07/02/2021)
Stiko: It’s still too early to recommend a refresher
The chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, considers the data situation to be too thin for clear recommendations on booster vaccinations. “A solid answer still takes data, time and work,” says Mertens from Düsseldorf Rheinische Post (Friday edition) according to a preliminary report. Accordingly, a distinction must be made between so-called immune parameters, which can be determined in the laboratory, and the duration of protection of a vaccination. These indicators are not the same for everyone, but depend on the age and immune competence of the vaccinated person. “So far there have been few results on the immune parameters and we expect more and more in the summer,” said the Stiko boss. (07/02/2021)
Spahn: Delta will be the dominant variant in July
The delta variant of the coronavirus is spreading rapidly. Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) assumes that this month 70 to 80 percent of new infections will be due to this mutant. He said that on Thursday morning at a press conference. The variant is more contagious than other virus variants and has also caused the number of infections to rise sharply in countries with high vaccination rates such as Great Britain. Federal Interior Minister Horst Seehofer (CSU) said that up to 60,000 people were allowed into the stadium for the European Football Championship matches.
It is expected that the mutant first discovered in India currently “accounts for at least half of all new infections,” writes the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in a report on Wednesday evening. The proportion of Delta in a sample from the period June 14th to 20th is put at about 37 percent. That is more than twice as much as the week before, when it was 17 percent.
It is important to maintain the vaccination rate, said Spahn. So far, two thirds of all adults in Germany have been vaccinated at least once. In general, 55 percent have now received a first vaccination, and 37.3 percent have been vaccinated twice. Spahn emphasized that only a full vaccination would protect against Delta. (07/01/2021)
More controls on entry
Federal Minister of the Interior Horst Seehofer does not want to introduce any stationary corona controls at the borders in the summer months, but he wants to strengthen the controls at the airports and the monitoring of quarantine obligations by the health authorities. According to Seehofer, anyone who drives to Germany should be prepared for random checks in the border area. “Anyone who enters must expect to be checked,” said the CSU politician. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) pointed out that, due to the lower number of infections, the health authorities now have more capacity to monitor the quarantine of returnees more closely.
No neighboring country of Germany is currently classified as a risk area. The random checks are, for example, on travelers who come by car from Turkey or Great Britain, said Seehofer. This happens as part of the so-called veil manhunt in the hinterland of the border. He will not allow himself to be pushed to stationary border controls by individual minister-presidents, said Seehofer, and long traffic jams at the border crossings should be avoided.
The local health authorities find out that anyone who enters Germany now has to register digitally. If he comes from a country classified as a risk area, he must generally be in quarantine for ten days – at least until he presents a negative test. In an area of high incidence, he can test himself free after five days at the earliest. When entering from a virus variant area, the quarantine even lasts 14 days; it cannot be shortened, and this also applies to those who have been vaccinated.
The virus variant areas currently also include Great Britain and Portugal – because of the more contagious Delta variant. But Spahn announced that both countries would soon be downgraded to high incidence areas. And then when the proportion of the delta variant is comparable to that in Germany, i.e. probably 70 to 80 percent. This point in time will “not be a long way off”. (07/01/2021)
Spahn should plan with more than 200 million vaccine doses for 2022
According to a media report, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) plans to procure 204 million corona vaccine doses for the coming year. “Thus a supply of a little more than two doses per inhabitant would be expected for Germany including the safety reserve,” says a report by the Ministry of Health Handelsblatt should be available and was apparently presented in the cabinet on Wednesday.
According to the report, the doses are to be obtained in order to “secure additional amounts of vaccine in good time for protection against mutations and booster vaccinations.” Overall, the ministry expects costs of 3.9 billion euros in 2022. The funds are available for this.
Spahn wants to order from various vaccine manufacturers, Astra Zeneca and Curevac are apparently not among them. A second analysis of the Curevac active ingredient had recently again shown low effectiveness. It was 48 percent.
According to the report, Spahn plans with 84.4 million doses from Biontech / Pfizer. The EU had already signed a contract with the manufacturer for deliveries of up to 1.8 billion cans by 2023. In addition, 31.8 million doses of the mRNA vaccine from Moderna and 18.3 million doses of the vector vaccine from Johnson & Johnson will be ordered. A total of another 70 million cans are distributed among the substances from the manufacturers Sanofi, Novavax and Valneva. (07/01/2021)