BERLIN (Reuters) – German health minister warned on Friday that there was not enough vaccine in Europe to contain the COVID-19 third wave as the country tried to get its implementation back on track after an interruption of three days using the AstraZeneca shot.
The number of cases has increased in Germany, driven by a relaxation of restrictions over the past few weeks, just as a more transmissible variant of the virus has spread, highlighting the need for vaccination to protect the defenseless.
Health Minister Jens Spahn defended the suspension, which was lifted on Thursday after European Union regulators said the benefits outweighed the risks as they provided transparency.
“We can re-introduce AstraZeneca with informed doctors and appropriately trained citizens,” he told a weekly news conference.
But he warned that vaccinations alone could not contain the third wave as there are not enough doses, and said restrictions that have been lifted may need to be reintroduced to limit the spread of the virus.
“The rising case numbers could mean we can not take the next opening steps in the coming weeks. On the contrary, we may even have to take steps backwards,” Spahn said.
State leaders are also due to discuss with Chancellor Angela Merkel later on Friday how they can speed up the vaccination campaign, including allowing GPs to administer doses in their operations.
The suspension was the latest obstacle in Germany’s vaccination campaign, which has been plagued by delivery delays and news reports on side effects. As of Friday, only 8.5% of the population got a first shot, far behind other countries such as the United States and Britain.
German state leaders have said they are ready to make up for lost time quickly. In Berlin, anyone who would receive an AstraZeneca survey earlier this week can show up at the vaccination centers this weekend without an appointment.
YOUNG WOMEN
Meanwhile, the premier of the southwestern German state of Baden-Württemberg, Winfried Kretschmann (72), will get a vaccination against AstraZeneca on Friday, to increase confidence.
But Bodo Ramelow, the prime minister of Thuringia in eastern Germany, said he would not advise his wife, who has to use blood thinners due to the risk of thrombosis, to get the AstraZeneca shot, although he would do so himself.
Karl Lauterbach, the main health expert of the SPD, Merkel’s junior coalition partner, said it was important not to create the impression that the AstraZeneca vaccine was not suitable for younger women.
In Germany, eight people were diagnosed with cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) within about two weeks of being vaccinated. They were among the 1.6 million recipients of the shot as of Wednesday, with CVST cases higher among women.
Lauterbach said the higher incidence may be due to the fact that younger women work in the health sector or in nursery schools, groups that have received the AstraZeneca vaccine in higher numbers.
Spahn said he hoped vaccinations could take place in medical practices by April 19, but warned that supply would remain limited.
Germany expects to receive 15 million doses of the AstraZeneca vaccine in the second quarter, a few million less than initially expected, he said.
Spahn also spoke in favor of signing a bidding agreement for the Russian Sputnik V vaccine for COVID-19, but said there needed to be more clarity on the quantities available.
(Reporting by Caroline Copley; Editing by Maria Sheahan and Paul Simao)