Corona vaccinations for children between the ages of five and eleven can begin next week in the Munich district. As District Administrator Christoph Göbel (CSU) announced in a press conference on Wednesday, the vaccine deliveries for this age group should arrive on Monday, and from Wednesday on the first boys and girls could be immunized in the district’s three vaccination centers. The first delivery will not be enough for everyone.
Another hurdle could currently be the lack of recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko). Although the had announced a statement on the child vaccinations in the next few days, how it will turn out, is still unclear. However, Göbel emphasized: “In the vaccination centers, the vaccinations take place in any case. After all, it is an approved drug.” On November 25, the European Medicines Agency (EMA) approved Biontech’s vaccine for vaccinating children aged five to eleven.
If the Stiko’s opinion turns out to be such that it does not provide a clear recommendation for vaccinating the children, District Administrator Göbel and his Head of Health, Gerhard Schmid, hope for a letter from the Bavarian Ministry of Health with a clear statement for the immunization of five to eleven year olds. This would then clarify the question of liability. Doctors shied away from vaccinations if there was no Stiko recommendation. The same procedure was followed with the booster syringes for adults five months after the second vaccination, according to the district administrator. “The decision is always made by the vaccination doctor,” he said.
Jörg Spennemann, Head of Health in the District Office, is of the opinion: “The doctors in the vaccination centers cannot afford to refuse the vaccinations.” However, health department chief Schmid knows that the requirements for educational discussions are higher if the Stiko recommendation is missing. Each individual vaccination takes more time.
The children are to be vaccinated in vaccination streets set up especially for them in the Haar, Oberhaching and Unterschleißheim centers. In addition, there should be cooperation between resident doctors and communities. These have already been agreed in Sauerlach and Unterschleißheim, and are also being planned in the Würmtal. Parents will receive information about this in a letter that is distributed through the schools.
Appointments can only be booked for children from the district
The five- to eleven-year-olds should not be registered via the nationwide Bayimco portal, but via a registration set up especially for the district, which can also be found on the district office’s website. It is also only possible to book appointments there if the person being vaccinated lives in the district; this is checked by entering the postcode. Because the vaccine that has been promised is not even enough for the own district residents of this age group. The District Office has ordered 15,000 cans, now you have to wait and see how many of them will be delivered, 30 percent is the talk, says the District Administrator.
The number of infections is now very high in schools and day-care centers. There are currently 661 infected people from 188 groups and classes in 116 facilities, and 406 contact persons are also in quarantine. Primary and elementary schools (31) and daycare centers (66) are particularly affected. After all, the number of cases of infection has decreased slightly compared to the previous week. This also corresponds to the overall development of the infection process in the district. “It’s steadily going downhill over the long term, that’s gratifying,” commented Göbel on the falling seven-day incidence. The low level of hospitalization also gives him confidence. There are currently four corona patients from the district in the hospital. Göbel sees this as a sign of an above-average vaccination rate.