Germany could launch COVID-19 vaccination program in December: Minister of Health

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FILE PHOTO: German Health Minister Jens Spahn speaks during a session of the lower house of the German parliament Bundestag, as the spread of the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) continues in Berlin, Germany, November 18, 2020. REUTERS / Fabrizio Bensch

FRANKFURT (Reuters) – Germany could start administering COVID-19 vaccines as early as next month, Health Minister Jens Spahn said.

“There is reason to be optimistic about the approval of a vaccine in Europe this year,” Spahn said in an interview with the RedaktionsNetzwerk Deutschland publishing group. “And then we can start right away.”

Spahn said he had asked German federal states to prepare their vaccination centers by mid-December and that it was going well. “I would rather have a vaccination center ready a few days in advance rather than an approved vaccine that is not used immediately.”

Germany has secured more than 300 million doses of the vaccine through the European Commission, bilateral contracts and options, Spahn said, adding that this was more than enough and even left room for maneuver with other countries.

Reporting by Christoph Steitz; Edited by Hugh Lawson

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