Novavax: The vaccine will be delivered to Germany at the end of February. But who gets a vaccination appointment first?
It was not until mid-January 2022 that Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach gave a date for the delivery of Novavax*. As echo24.de reported, 1.75 million doses of the vaccine from the US manufacturer should be available from February 21st *. But you can’t get a vaccination appointment for the coveted vaccine at the moment – almost not.
As the broadcaster ZDF now writes in an article, it is still unclear what the exact distribution of the Novavax vaccine doses will be for the individual federal states. Currently you can only register for vaccination appointments in Rhineland-Palatinate from January 24th. The SWR reports from so far 5,000 registrations via the vaccination portal of the country.
Novavax: Further delivery of vaccine doses unclear
The rest of the country is still very reluctant to give vaccination dates for Novavax. In its report, ZDF cites the inaccurate delivery information for a further 3.25 million doses of the vaccine from the USA as one reason. According to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach, delivery is still expected in February.
Jörg Mertz, Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Thuringia, told the German Press Agency (dpa ) about the problem of appointments relating to the Novavax vaccine: “As long as we don’t know what we’re getting, we can’t offer any appointments at the vaccination centers.” around 44,000 doses, the distribution should be ” according to the proportion of the population among the federal states” .
Specification for award: Who gets Novavax?
Another reason for problems with fixed vaccination dates are the possible specifications for the allocation of Novavax vaccine doses. So it could well be that areas of vital infrastructure, hospitals and fire brigades are first in line, writes ZDF .
In Brandenburg, there should therefore be precise prioritization when awarding Novavax. According to Health Minister Ursula Nonnemacher, “all those who are subject to compulsory vaccination from March 16, i.e. nursing and medical staff” should first be able to be vaccinated here. Then there are the people who are considered to be particularly at risk.
Novavax not an inactivated vaccine? Experts argue – comparisons with Valneva and Biontech
At Novavax, the scientists keep arguing whether the vaccine is now an inactivated vaccine or not. As echo24.de reported in December 2021, there was strong criticism of the designation* from Florian Krammer, Professor of Vaccine Science, and from the current Federal Minister of Health, Karl Lauterbach.
In their statements, neither saw Novavax as a classic inactivated vaccine*, as Valneva’s vaccine is now. The vaccine from France is currently still awaiting approval from the European Medicines Agency (EMA). The direct comparison between Novavax and Valneva* was also interesting. And there have already been extensive comparative studies* with the mRNA vaccine from Biontech. * echo24.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
