Hopes were pinned on Novavax – but the protein vaccine is becoming a slow seller in Bavaria. The Corona vaccination campaign is faltering.
Munich – Anyone who avoids mRNA vaccines such as Biontech* or Moderna* could opt for a more classic vaccine against Corona*. Bavaria’s Minister of Health connected this hope with the Novavax vaccine.* A good two weeks after the start of vaccination in Bavaria, however, the balance sheet is sobering.
Novavax vaccine becomes a slow seller in Bavaria
In Bavaria, only a few people want to be vaccinated with the Novavax vaccine. Of the 225,000 vaccine doses delivered so far, only around 5,700 were administered by the middle of the week, according to the Ministry of Health in Munich. Initial feedback from the vaccination centers showed that demand appears to be “relatively low”, said a ministry spokeswoman. By March 11, the vaccination centers would have had to dispose of almost 1,200 filled syringes with the vaccine* because they could not be used in time after the injection vials had been opened.
Novavax initially only for healthcare workers, then for everyone – but little interest
The vaccine, called Nuvaxovid, was initially only released for healthcare workers at the beginning of March* in order to offer the possibility of vaccination before the start of compulsory vaccination in this area. But there, too, interest was low: by March 9, just under 2,300 people in Bavaria had been vaccinated with Nuvaxovid. As a result, the Ministry of Health released the vaccine for all adults* – but without the hoped-for effect.
“I hope that we can convince many people who were skeptical about the previous vaccines with the more classic vaccine,” emphasized Health Minister Klaus Holetschek at the start of the Novavax vaccinations. That is why the Bavarian Ministry of Health, for example, will increasingly advertise vaccinations with Novavax on social networks.
Bavaria: Novavax vaccine for all adults
Protein vaccine Novavax – the number of corona vaccinations in Bavaria continues to decline
Nuvaxovid is a protein vaccine – a different technology than the mRNA preparations from Pfizer and Moderna that have been widely used so far, and which some people have concerns about. Hopes were high that many people, especially medical and nursing staff who had not been vaccinated before, would now decide to be vaccinated against the corona virus.
Regardless of this, the number of initial vaccinations in the Free State continued to decline, according to the ministry. At the end of January, more than 32,000 people in Bavaria were vaccinated against Corona for the first time, but the number of initial vaccinations recently fell to almost 7,000 per week. Demand for second and third vaccinations also fell significantly.
Among Bavarians with booster vaccinations * there is apparently interest in a fourth injection: around 106,000 people have been vaccinated for the fourth time, said a ministry spokeswoman. (kam/dpa) *Merkur.de/bayern is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
