Updated on COVID-19

Corona vaccinations: where we are now

Which vaccines are currently being vaccinated in Germany?

The Covid-19 vaccines from are currently approved in Germany

  • BioNTech (mRNA vaccine): Around 5.6 million people received the first vaccination and around 3.5 million people received the second vaccination.
  • Moderna (mRNA vaccine): Around 357,000 people have received their first vaccination and around 114,000 their second.
  • AstraZeneca (vector vaccine): Around 2.1 million people received a first vaccination, 527 a second vaccination. According to the recommendation of the STIKO (Standing Vaccination Committee), the interval between the 1st and 2nd vaccination should be 12 weeks if possible.
  • Janssen/Johnson & Johnson (vector vaccine): The vaccine approved in the EU on March 11 is to be delivered in the second quarter and then vaccinated directly. A single dose is enough.

When will the corona vaccinations start in doctor’s offices?

Even if the amount of available vaccine is currently still scarce, medical practices should start vaccinating on April 5th. The federal and state governments decided this in the vaccination talks on March 19th. The approximately 50,000 family doctor practices each receive 20 doses of vaccine per week. This amount will be increased as more vaccine becomes available. The doctors should first vaccinate patients who have a particularly high risk of a severe course of Covid 19.

In addition, the corona vaccinations in the vaccination centers continue – they will receive 2.25 million vaccine doses per week in April. In addition, Germany is expecting a delivery of 580,000 vaccine doses from BioNTech/Pfizer in April, which are to be vaccinated in endangered regions on the border with the Czech Republic and the French department of Moselle.

How many vaccine doses has Germany ordered?

According to the federal government, Germany has secured the following quantities from the manufacturers:

  • BioNTech: at least 64.1 doses of vaccine across the EU, with a further 30 million doses possible nationally
  • AstraZeneca: 56.3 million doses via the EU
  • Moderna: 50.5 million doses across the EU
  • Johnson & Johnson: 36.7 million doses via the EU
  • CureVac: at least 54.1 million doses via the EU, another 20 million nationally possible (currently being checked by the EMA)

Which vaccines will be approved in the future?

A committee of the EMA is currently examining 3 vaccines in the rolling review process – this means that the evaluation and approval of the vaccines is being accelerated due to the urgency. The following vaccine candidates are currently being tested:

  • CureVac: The mRNA vaccine from Tübingen-based CureVac AG has been under review by the EMA since February 12. After approval, Germany will receive 54.1 million doses via the EU and optionally 20 million doses nationally.
  • Novavax: The protein-based vaccine from the US manufacturer Novavax has been under review since February 3rd.
  • Sputnik V: Since March 4, the EMA has also been testing the vector vaccine Sputnik V from the Russian state Gamaleja Institute.

What do we currently know about side effects?

The manufacturers of the vaccines have had possible risks and side effects and their frequency examined in clinical studies.

The most common side effects include

  • for vaccinations with BioNTech: pain at the injection site (> 80%), fatigue (> 60%), headache (> 50%), chills (> 30%), joint pain (> 20%). The side effects occurred less frequently in older vaccinees.
  • For vaccinations with Moderna: pain at the injection site (92%), fatigue (70%), headache (64.7%), muscle pain (61.5%), joint pain (46.4%), chills (45.4%) ), nausea and/or vomiting (23%)
  • for vaccinations with AstraZeneca: pain at the injection site (54.2%), headache (52.6%), fatigue (53.1%), chills (31.9%) and nausea (21.9%). Cerebral vein thrombosis and other rare thromboses were reported to the PEI (Paul Ehrlich Institute) in about 1 case in 100,000 vaccinations.
  • in vaccinations with the Janssen/Johnson & Johnson vaccine: headache, nausea, muscle pain, pain at the injection site, severe tiredness (possible in more than 10% of those vaccinated)

You can see the exact ingredients of the vaccine as well as study results on risks and side effects in detail in the EMA product information:

How well do vaccines work on coronavirus mutations?

The British variant B.1.1.7 is currently most common in Europe. Various studies have shown that the vaccines from BioNTech, Moderna and AstraZeneca work similarly well against the British variant – the impact on the effectiveness of the vaccines is only small to moderate.

In the case of the South African variant B.1.351 , the effectiveness of the vaccines could be reduced more significantly. However, there is evidence that vaccinated people can become infected with B.1.351 but are protected against a severe course of Covid-19.

Are people who have already had Covid-19 also vaccinated?

Since March 12, the STIKO (Standing Vaccination Committee of the RKI) has recommended a one-time vaccination for people who have already gone through Covid-19 (instead of the usual 2 doses). This should be sufficient for a good immune response against the corona virus. However, those who have recovered should not receive the vaccination until 6 months after surviving the infection.

When is my turn to vaccinate?

The following groups are currently vaccinated in Germany:

  • people over 80
  • people living in nursing homes
  • Medical staff and other professional groups with a high risk of infection

Because the amount of available vaccines is still limited, the Ministry of Health determines who will be vaccinated next: In the second group, people over 70, people with dementia, with trisomy 21, transplant patients and employees in elementary schools and day care centers are vaccinated. Then it is the turn of people over 60, employees in the police and fire brigade and in the food trade.

The Ministry of Health also plans to offer vaccinations to all adults in the summer of 2021. Even if the vaccine is still scarce at the moment, deliveries are expected to increase steadily over the next few weeks. Appointments are made based on the state in which you live.

Darrick Robles

I was born with the vocation of being a doctor. I have worked in public health centers in California and Washington, ​​in social projects in low-income countries, and in pioneering private centers in integrative medicine. Currently, I am the founder and medical director of the social enterprise Med-Healths, in which I combine my medical care work with giving conferences on health and well-being in business and social environments.