Urges Immediate Vaccination of Germans, Says Lauterbach

In a recent statement, Karl Lauterbach, the SPD health expert, has advocated for an accelerated COVID-19 vaccination programme in Germany. Lauterbach believes that the population should be vaccinated "at record speed" to combat the ongoing pandemic.

Currently, approximately 26 million people in Germany can be vaccinated with the quantities secured via the EU, primarily from BioNTech and Moderna. Lauterbach expects these vaccines to be approved "very quickly" in Germany.

The vaccines from BioNTech and Moderna are considered "absolutely approvable" by Lauterbach. However, he also notes that these vaccines would not be sufficient on their own to cover the entire German population, which numbers beyond the 26 million.

In addition to BioNTech and Moderna, the COVID-19 vaccine from Janssen (Johnson & Johnson) could still be authorized in Germany to help meet the demand for 74 million vaccine doses. The vaccine has already received conditional approval in the EU for use in adults.

Lauterbach does not want any time to be wasted in the vaccination process. He demands that the vaccine should be administered immediately upon receipt. He also suggests that other EU countries may not be as far along in the vaccination process.

The AstraZeneca vaccine is also expected to receive approval soon, although no new expectation regarding the speed of approval has been provided. Other vaccines like Novavax have licensing agreements but no specific mention of their authorization in Germany in the immediate context.

Lauterbach continues to emphasize the importance of accelerated COVID-19 vaccination in Germany, urging for a swift and efficient rollout of the vaccines to protect the population and combat the pandemic.