Germany readies exhibition halls, mobile teams for COVID-19 vaccination

[webfact]

Germany readies exhibition halls, mobile teams for COVID-19 vaccination

By Caroline Copley

 

FILE PHOTO: Customers wait in line after the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) lockdown has been eased around the country and companies open some of its stores, in Munich, Germany, May 12, 2020. REUTERS/Andreas Gebert

 

BERLIN (Reuters) - Germany is scouting trade fair halls and airport terminals to use as potential mass vaccination centres, as it draws up plans to inoculate the nation as soon as the first coronavirus shot gains European approval, state health officials told Reuters.

 

Berlin expects the first COVID-19 vaccines to be available in early 2021 and has given the country's 16 states a Nov. 10 deadline to detail the addresses of 60 facilities that could serve as delivery centres for manufacturers.

 

Under the national vaccine strategy, approved by its cabinet last week, Germany has asked the states to identify central vaccination centres which will be supplemented by mobile teams who go into care homes.

 

The centralised approach underscores the potential logistical challenges facing governments, including limited supplies, multi-dose vials and complex storage requirements.

 

Some of the most advanced vaccines in human testing are so-called mRNA vaccines being developed by Moderna and the team of BioNTech and Pfizer Inc.

 

The BioNTech/Pfizer candidate needs to be stored at temperatures as low as minus 80 degrees Celsius (-112 Fahrenheit). That may give a slight edge to Moderna, whose vaccine is stored at minus 20 degrees Celsius (-4 Fahrenheit), roughly the same as home freezer temperatures.

 

In smaller, city states such as Hamburg and Bremen, authorities are scouting for central locations that are easy to reach like exhibition halls, where vaccinations could be stockpiled.

 

"We are on the lookout for larger locations that are centrally located and spacious. This could well be the airport or trade fair," a spokesman for Hamburg's health ministry said, adding no final decision has been taken.

 

Bigger, more rural states like Baden-Wuerttemberg and Schleswig-Holstein plan to distribute shots from a centralised delivery site into districts and towns, spokespeople for the health authorities said.

 

Germany has asked the Robert Koch Institute's vaccine committee to identify which vulnerable population groups should get the shots first, although front-line workers are expected to be a priority.

 

In a second phase, when more vaccines are widely available in single-dose vials, Germany hopes to administer shots for the broader population at doctors' practices. 

 

An electronic register will record who has been vaccinated, while an app is being developed to allow people to record potential side effects.

 

The scale of Germany's planning contrasts with Italy where authorities intend to use existing infrastructure, including 50,000 general practitioners, 14,000 paediatricians and vaccination centres for local public health offices.

 

"With these channels we normally administer around 30 million vaccinations per year to both children and adults, so we believe that this is an adequate infrastructure for the future COVID vaccine as well," a health ministry spokesman said.

 

France has also been mulling plans for nationwide storage and distribution of vaccines, but no firm details were yet available, a source close to the health ministry said.

 

(Additional reporting by Emilio Paradi in Milan and Matthias Blamont in Paris, editing by Ed Osmond and Peter Henderson)

 

-- © Copyright Reuters 2020-11-04

 

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[sawadee1947]

Obviously Germany is the front runner again. 

As always.... economy, cars, scientists, democracy and polititians.

Maybe Boris could ask to work as an apprentice? ????

[Letseng]

23 minutes ago, sawadee1947 said:

Obviously Germany is the front runner again. 

As always.... economy, cars, scientists, democracy and polititians.

Maybe Boris could ask to work as an apprentice? ????

They forgot to say "if we get enough doses of the vaccine"

Ordering is being done by Brussels and distributed by a quota method. Brussels is as good an organizer as Boris. Btw I'm not a Brit.

[UB40]

I recommend they should try that stuff with our government politicians first.

If they survive, its good. If its not good, our country is looking forward into a much better future.

[thaibeachlovers]

Can Germany force people to have it?

I'm lucky enough to live in a country that has laws against forcing people to have any medication.

 

I'll wait to see is there are unintended side effects that don't show up for months after injected.

 

Not so long ago we were told it can take years to develop a safe vaccine, but now we are supposed to believe it's OK after less than one year in development.

[Credo]

27 minutes ago, thaibeachlovers said:

Can Germany force people to have it?

I'm lucky enough to live in a country that has laws against forcing people to have any medication.

 

I'll wait to see is there are unintended side effects that don't show up for months after injected.

 

Not so long ago we were told it can take years to develop a safe vaccine, but now we are supposed to believe it's OK after less than one year in development.

There is no doubt that this one has been done at 'Warp Speed', but that said, there is no reason to believe that it won't be safe.   The base vaccine for many of the various vaccines being tried was already known to be safe.  It has been tested in the development of vaccines for SARS and MERS as well as other coronaviruses.   It meant that a big part of the safety issue was already known.   It then needed to have the material to stimulate an immune response to COVID.  Usually, that is a dead version of the virus or a portion of the RNA.   So, the testing is primarily to see that it is effective.   

 

As long as the health agencies involved in declaring it safe say it is safe, then there should be no problem with taking it.   

 

[thaibeachlovers]

Just now, Credo said:

There is no doubt that this one has been done at 'Warp Speed', but that said, there is no reason to believe that it won't be safe.   The base vaccine for many of the various vaccines being tried was already known to be safe.  It has been tested in the development of vaccines for SARS and MERS as well as other coronaviruses.   It meant that a big part of the safety issue was already known.   It then needed to have the material to stimulate an immune response to COVID.  Usually, that is a dead version of the virus or a portion of the RNA.   So, the testing is primarily to see that it is effective.   

 

As long as the health agencies involved in declaring it safe say it is safe, then there should be no problem with taking it.   

 

Feel free to take it then. I'll be waiting a while.

[Deli]

15 hours ago, sawadee1947 said:

Obviously Germany is the front runner again. 

As always.... economy, cars, scientists, democracy and polititians.

Maybe Boris could ask to work as an apprentice? ????

 

And welcoming #refugees# from anywhere without asking questions. Time fore a change.

[UB40]

On 11/4/2020 at 10:59 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Can Germany force people to have it?

I'm lucky enough to live in a country that has laws against forcing people to have any medication.

Well, there is a law called fundamental right to physical integrity, BUT there is always a but. And Germanys government doesn't care about fundamental rights. 

So, at the moment they can't force us, but what, if your kids aren't allowed to visit kindergardens, schools ... what if you're not allowed to travel or shop in markets without having that shot?

[candide]

On 11/4/2020 at 10:59 PM, thaibeachlovers said:

Can Germany force people to have it?

I'm lucky enough to live in a country that has laws against forcing people to have any medication.

 

I'll wait to see is there are unintended side effects that don't show up for months after injected.

 

Not so long ago we were told it can take years to develop a safe vaccine, but now we are supposed to believe it's OK after less than one year in development.

Where is it written that they want to force people to have it?

That's against principles and laws adopted by the EU.