Corona: Germany waives 558,000 vaccine doses

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Berlin.

• Vaccinations against Corona in Germany are not working as quickly and smoothly as hoped
• However, the Federal Republic of Germany has waived more than half a million doses of the vaccine from Biontech
• We explain what’s behind the decision

Vaccination campaign against Corona Virus It works very slowly in Germany. After about three months, only one in twenty people received full protection from the vaccination. Many look with envy at the exemplary students in Israel, Britain and the United States. Why would Germany give up 558,000 doses of the precious vaccine in this case?

Corona vaccine: an unequal distribution within the European Union

The background is a bug in Vaccine distribution In the European Union. Together, the 27 countries bought vaccines against the Coronavirus. This should in effect ensure an equal supply of all member states according to their proportion of the population. In fact, there is a problem here – and in some countries the vaccination campaign starts much more slowly than in Germany.

The imbalance arises as follows: European Union countries can purchase doses of the vaccine if individual countries do not use their share of the vaccine in question. Therefore, some countries have specifically relied on the vaccine from AstraZeneca They are now at a disadvantage due to delivery problems. Germany and most of the European Union now want to compensate for this with donations.

Corona vaccination – more about vaccines:

For the EU vaccination campaign to get back on track, a special quota will be set From Biontech / Pfizer Vaccine It is distributed. It includes Ten million cans It should be delivered in the second quarter that has just started.

360 million vaccine doses by the end of June

Countries argued over the distribution for two weeks, although the number is relatively low given the 360 ​​million vaccine doses expected for the entire European Union in the months from April to June.

Now 24 of the 27 countries, including Germany, have agreed to a compromise: They are donating a total of 2.8 million doses of vaccine from the special quota of the five countries in particular need – Estonia, Latvia, Slovakia, Croatia and Bulgaria. Germany surrendered 558,000 cans. This is how the federal government’s Vaccine Commissioner wants to overcome bottlenecks.

The remaining 7 million vaccine doses from the special unit will be distributed to all 27 states as usual, according to the proportion of the population. On Friday, Estonia and Latvia openly thanked them for their support and solidarity. This procedure makes it possible in all member states. “At least 45 percent of people “The vaccination will end at the end of July,” Portuguese Prime Minister Antonio Costa said.

Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia do not participate

In contrast, Austria, the Czech Republic and Slovenia do not participate in the fundraising campaign. The three countries also requested additional doses of the vaccine. At least for Austria, it still doesn’t pay off – the Alpine Republic is now receiving 199,000 doses of vaccine from its special ration. ought to Federal Chancellor Sebastian Curtis He participated in the solidarity campaign, and his country is entitled to only 139,000 boxes.

However, he originally ordered an additional 400,000 doses of vaccine for his country – but the European Union partners saw no need to compensate in Austria. Kurtz justified his refusal by the fact that the Czech Republic would not receive the necessary additional vaccination doses in a compromise. However, the proposal provided for additional allocations for the neighboring country. This is now gone.

Kurtz had also taken a private training course in the previous weeks. He declared that he no longer wanted to rely on the European Union for a vaccine, and he rigged the vaccine Vaccination Alliance with Israel And announced To purchase the Russian vaccine Sputnik V. EU diplomats are outraged by this approach – because it does not at all fit Curtis’s request for solidarity on a vaccine in the European Union. (aky / AFP / dpa)

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