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