From April, 111,000 vaccinations per day are planned

Munich (dpa / lby) – After weeks of difficulties getting started due to a vaccine shortage, the Bavarian vaccination campaign is supposed to start at full speed in the coming weeks. The 100 Bavarian vaccination centers will double their capacity from April to 111,000 vaccines per day, announced Minister of Health Klaus Holicek (CSU). This means one million vaccinations every nine days, and an average of 1110 vaccinations per day per vaccination center. “Our goal is to vaccinate the largest possible number of people as quickly as possible,” a ministry spokesman said at the weekend.

Healthcare professionals consider Holetschek’s planned rapid mass vaccinations entirely possible. However, in the state medical association, there are doubts whether this can be managed in vaccination centers alone. A spokesman for the Bavarian State Medical Association said: “Ultimately, when enough vaccine is available in the foreseeable future, vaccination can only be done nationwide through the practices of resident doctors and primarily by fellow GPs.”

But whether and when general practitioners in Bavaria can impregnate in their practices is that open. There are currently only pilot projects. “To use general practitioners under standard care, a corresponding regulation is required within the framework of the national vaccination strategy,” a ministry spokesman said. “At the moment, it is not possible to make predictions about this.”

The Bavarian Hospital Association welcomes the health minister’s plans: “I think it is a good thing that Minister Holetschek has announced the turbinemia,” says Managing Director Roland Engehausen. “In a few weeks we will have a lot of vaccinations so that we have to see how we can get everything in a good and organized way.” In the past few weeks, the debate has been shaped by the people who championed vaccination – “It is likely that this will not play a role anytime soon.” According to Engehhausen, the hospitals will also be ready to provide support as soon as possible. According to Ministry of Health data, there were 995312 vaccinations in Bavaria from the start of the vaccination on December 27 until Friday, 335,433 vaccinations of which were second. In the past few days, the pace has risen dramatically compared to the slow start: according to the ministry’s figures, nearly 100,000 vaccinations were reported from Tuesday to Friday only. Holetschek is now aiming to double further with a “turbo vaccine”.

The central question will be whether reliably sufficient quantities of the vaccine will reach Bavaria. “We do not have long-term numbers until the fall,” a ministry spokesman said. About 1.8 million vaccine doses are expected to arrive in Bavaria by April. Nearly 1.3 million cans have been delivered to date, and many of them have yet to be used.

So far, the European Union, including Bavaria, is still much slower than Great Britain when it comes to vaccinations: In the United Kingdom, 28.5 vaccine doses were given per 100 inhabitants by Wednesday, and only 6.7 in the European Union.

© dpa-infocom, dpa: 210227-99-615119 / 2