Well if the Germans don't want it, at least I'll be able to get a sunlounger.
The roll out there is pretty disgraceful. They have received about 1.5m doses of AZ over the past two weeks and only administered 211k doses to date. Additionally, another 650k are due to be delivered on Friday. They are currently vaccinating at a rate of about 0.15 doses per 100 people per day. The existing supply and future deliveries should allow for a rate of 0.25-0.3, so almost double. The Moderna supply is also currently only utilised to about 30%. For reference the UK has been going at a rate of over 0.6 for the past few weeks (thought dropped to about 0.55 this week)
But they do absolutely insane things:
- for each Pfizer dose they receive, they put one in reserve, so that the vaccinated person can have it precisely 3 weeks later
- Not getting GP practices involved immediately. Despite the fact the AZ supplies were due to start in middle of February (ended up being a little sooner) the plan to involve GP practices is not supposed to start until April. These have a theoretical capacity of 5m doses a week
- Seemingly not being able to pivot quickly after STIKO only recommended AZ for over 65s - low AZ vaccination numbers cannot be only down to lack of uptake
- the absolutely worst comment I saw by some regional vaccination official was. "We are building a stockpile, so that in the event potential future supply shortages we do not have to cancel appointments" - Seriously, wtf, clearly not inconveniencing people is far more important, than you know, saving lives.
My dad lives in Germany, he is in his late 60s and has a pretty bad lung condition. In his town they used to open the vaccination centre for one hour a day before they ran out of supplies. Now they don't even open it anymore. They also very recently had an outbreak in a old peoples home (who's inhabitants had not been vaccinated yet).
They are getting more data by day, further indicating that:
a) A single dose provides a substantial amount of protection
b) AZ reduces deaths and hospitalisations in over 65s massively
So, I do hope they act on the latest data, and approve AZ for over 65s. I'm certain there are loads who are desperate for it. And start actually getting this stuff into people arms, as it serves no one in some stockpile somewhere.