Germany is making preparations to start vaccinations against the coronavirus before the end of the year, Bild daily reported on Friday.
For more coronavirus news, visit our dedicated page.
The health ministry plans to create 60 special vaccination centers to ensure the vaccines can be stored at the proper temperature and has asked the country’s 16 federal states to provide addresses for them by Nov. 10, Bild reported without citing its sources.
At a video conference earlier this week, Health Minister Jens Spahn, who himself tested positive for the coronavirus on Wednesday, said Germany’s BioNTech was close to getting a vaccine approved, Bild cited participants as saying.
Asked when he expected the first vaccinations, Spahn replied: “That could happen before the end of the year,” participants told Bild.
Read more:
Coronavirus vaccine may be ready for vulnerable groups by end of 2020: US official
Coronavirus: Sales of toilet paper, disinfectants rise in Germany as cases surge
Coronavirus: Germany facing ‘very serious’ rise in cases, says health body
BioNTech is developing its vaccine in partnership with Pfizer Inc.
Last month, Germany awarded $745 million in funding to biotech firms BioNTech and CureVac to speed up work on COVID-19 vaccines and expand German production capacity.
On Tuesday, Pfizer and BioNTech announced the start in Japan of combined Phase I and Phase II clinical trials of their mRNA-based vaccine candidate against the coronavirus.
Their US vaccine trial could yield initial results as soon as later this month.
Germany’s infection rates have been accelerating. Data released on Thursday showed the number of confirmed cases rose by more than 10,000 in a single day for the first time.
Also Read
-
Britain authorizes temporary use of flu vaccine to protect nearly half the population
Britain has authorized the temporary use of the Flublok flu vaccine and ordered millions of doses as it seeks to give jabs to more people during ... Coronavirus -
Coronavirus vaccine may be ready for vulnerable groups by end of 2020: US official
United States is likely to have enough safe and effective COVID-19 vaccines available to inoculate the most vulnerable Americans by the end of 2020, ... Coronavirus -
Coronavirus: Russia’s Putin pitches COVID-19 vaccine to tycoons as $100 bln chance
President Vladimir Putin pitched the potential of Russia’s unproven Covid-19 vaccine to a group of top business leaders Wednesday as the country is ... Coronavirus
