UIn order to flatten the expected fifth wave of corona infections triggered by the new omicron variant of the virus, vaccinations are what count. In the opinion of experts, citizens between the ages of twelve and 30 in particular should quickly get a booster vaccination with the Biontech product – this group still maintains a lot of contacts and is highly mobile. But it is precisely this vaccine that threatens to become scarce at the beginning of the new year.
In the medium term, there is even a lack of the Moderna vaccine, which is less popular among citizens, for all those older than 50 years who also urgently need a booster vaccination to protect against Omikron. The federal government has a total of 30 million vaccine doses from Moderna available for refreshments, only three million from Biontech. The Federal Ministry of Health therefore informed the associations of statutory health insurance physicians in November that the delivery quantities had to be reduced.
Until then, family doctors could order as many Biontech injection bottles – so-called vials – as they needed, since then the maximum amount has been five bottles from which vaccine for six booster vaccinations can be drawn. “We know that family doctors repeatedly cancel vaccinations for the age group of twelve to 30 citizens or postpone them from December to January,” says a spokesman for the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Baden-Württemberg for the FAZ. In addition, the KV has also set up its own vaccine exchange market. But that’s probably not enough to meet demand in the first few weeks of the new year.
Some pharmacies now have to try to distribute the vaccine from five injection vials to eight practices. The Biontech vaccine will also be scarce at the beginning of January in the vaccination centers in the Baden-Württemberg districts. The district of Offenburg, for example, received only ten percent of the amount ordered for its four vaccination centers at the beginning of the week. Doctors sent young people who were willing to be vaccinated back home.
According to figures from the Federal Ministry of Health, Biontech deliveries have been declining since the penultimate week of November – from 5.2 million doses at the time, they fell to just under a million a week at the end of December. The shortage of Biontech vaccine could worsen in January and February if the demand for vaccinations for 12-17 year olds should increase. Another problem is with the administration of the Moderna agent.
Until late summer, this vaccine was almost exclusively injected into the counties’ vaccination centers. After the deficiency in the Biontech vaccine was announced, the general practitioners were instructed by the Federal Ministry of Health to offer Moderna vaccinations for patients older than 30 years. In the experience of family doctors, however, this brought with it two problems: firstly, many citizens prefer vaccination with Biontech, and secondly, vaccination with Moderna requires an organizational change in the practices. While only six booster vaccinations can be obtained from a Biontech injection vial, Moderna has 20.
General practitioners have to give patients new appointments
The general practitioners may have to call in patients again and also obtain the consent of the patient to change the vaccine. “Although every general practice can order five vials, often only three or four are delivered. There was no maximum order quantity at Moderna. In individual cases, less of this is delivered than was ordered, ”said the KV spokesman. The Baden-Württemberg pharmacists’ association is also feeling the shortage of vaccines: “We order the maximum quantities for contract and company doctors weekly, we only see the shortage when the vaccine is distributed,” said a spokeswoman for the association.
The Baden-Württemberg Ministry of Health in Stuttgart sees the problem in a similar way. “In fact, we have received a number of reports that the vaccine currently being supplied is nowhere near enough. This applies in particular to the Biontech vaccine, which is absolutely necessary for the vaccinations of the under-30s, “said a spokeswoman for the Ministry of the F.AZ. By “capping this vaccine”, namely on five Biontech vials per week per practice, only 30 booster vaccinations are possible there.
The vaccination centers should not receive more than 170 doses per week. “Such amounts will noticeably slow down the vaccination campaign,” says the Ministry of Health. The vaccination campaign can only be continued successfully if the federal government provides enough vaccine for younger people. Health Minister Manfred Lucha (Greens) will therefore urge the federal government at the beginning of January to deliver enough vaccine, especially since the country is facing major challenges with the highly contagious Omicron variant.
.
#Vaccine #shortage #vials #practices