COVID-19 vaccines: Germany worried about the lack of people in vaccinations

A growing number of Germans you do not show up for COVID-19 vaccination appointments, resulting in fines as Germany tries to speed up vaccination to counter the Delta variant, spreading rapidly and with higher rates of contagion.

Mario Czaja, head of the Berlin Red Cross, said that between 5% and 10% of people skipped appointments at city vaccination centers and that the stage of The second dose of the coronavirus vaccine is particularly affected, against an absenteeism rate of less than 0.5% at the start of the campaign.

With around 15,000 vaccinations scheduled per day at the centers, the number of canceled appointments has a “massive effect on Berlin’s immunization coverage,” Czaja said in an interview on local radio on Monday. Deutschlandfunk.

“We need free spaces. We’re not out of the woods yet and we can’t afford to be careless“he said, urging people to cancel their appointments if they managed to get a second dose earlier elsewhere.

Despite missed appointments, Czaja said health centers do not have to dispose of vaccines because, once thawed, they can be stored for three to four days in refrigerators.

People may miss the second injections because they have been vaccinated by their family or a doctor, or they may be on vacation, Christian Fuellers, medical director of a vaccination center in North Rhine-Westphalia, told TV station. -Westphalia. ARD. Young men, in particular, also seem to believe that a single dose will be enough, he added.

Delta variant raises concerns

Whatever the reasons, absences are an obstacle to Germany’s plan to speed up vaccinations to control the Delta variant, now responsible for half of the coronavirus cases in the country. Delta is expected to become the dominant strain in Germany by the end of the month.

Chancellor Angela Merkel wants Germany achieves 80% vaccination rate, said Reuters a source who was present at a meeting of his party’s executive committee. About 39% of Germans received the two recommended injections, while 56.5% received at least one dose.