Germany willing to buy Russian Sputnik V vaccine if approved by EMA

Germany is ready to acquire the Russian vaccine Sputnik V if approved by European health authorities, Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Friday, who also assured her that she was ready to personally receive a dose of the AstraZeneca drug. .

“Yes, I would get vaccinated with the AstraZeneca vaccine,” he assured at a press conference. “I would like to wait my turn, but I absolutely would,” he added.

“Regarding the Russian vaccine, I have said for a long time that we should use any vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA)”he declared. And although he has indicated that he would like to see a joint European Union order for Russian drugs, “if this decision does not take place (…) then Germany will go in their direction”, he warned.

In addition, during a broadcast of the public television network ARD, Merkel assured that he discussed it with Russian President Vladimir Putin and that he saw “good data” on the doses of Sputnik V. But he warned that “it is still not known whether those who are vaccinated can infect others, and until this is clarified, no particular rights can be envisaged.”

“Only when we can really have made an offer to many people, and taking into account that the vaccine is not mandatory and some will have said ‘no, I would not like’, that ‘it will be possible to make a distinction and establish that those who are not vaccinated cannot do certain things, “added the Chancellor, who also said that” the values ​​in Germany are decreasing and it depends on the commitment citizens “.

“We haven’t been at this stage for a long time, but we still don’t get the situation under control. We have to work on it. Every day counts “Merkel warned.

And he concluded: “The citizens still have to be patient. It is clear that we are not going to wait for everyone to get vaccinated for the openings, ”he concluded.

No more restrictions

On the other hand, Merkel said on Friday that On the 22nd, at least part of the restrictions that had been lifted will have to be reintroduced as part of a phased opening process as part of the fight against the coronavirus pandemic.

“The situation is difficult, the incidence is increasing, we are increasing exponentially,” Merkel said in an appearance devoted mainly to the vaccination campaign.

Merkel said that although she could not anticipate in detail the decisions that will be taken on the 22nd at a meeting with the Prime Ministers of the German Federal States (“länder”), it is clear that what she called the “emergency break” in the event that the weekly incidence exceeds 100 infections per 100,000 inhabitants.

“It’s good that we have agreed on an emergency brake and that we will have to apply it. I would have liked to be able to avoid it but it will not be possible ”, he explained.

This will probably involve that non-essential businesses – which had been reopened with restrictions – be closed again and the rule that until March 3 banned meetings with more than one person living at another address be returned.

The weekly incidence increased again especially in Germany, to 95.6 new cases per 100,000 inhabitants, against 90 yesterday and 86.2 Wednesday, while it was 72.4 a week ago.

Health authorities recorded 17,482 new covid-19 infections in the past 24 hours, more than five thousand more than last Friday, and the number of one-day deaths rose to 226, up from 252 a week ago, according to updated data from the Robert Koch Institute of Virology (RKI) at midnight last.

With information from AFP and EFE

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