Coronavirus updates Pfizer unable to fulfill promised vaccine deliveries

Bonn/Region · There is some reconstruction underway at the Pfizer plant in Puurs, Belgium. As a result, the pharmaceutical company will not be able to deliver all promised coronavirus vaccines in the next three to four weeks. In Bonn, the incidence rate has dropped again. Here are some entries from the GA live blog.

Coronavirus updates: Pfizer unable to fulfill promised vaccine deliveries
Foto: AP/Kelsey Brunner

The construction industry has agreed on extensive preventive measures to better protect workers in the face of the worsening coronavirus situation.

Health Minister Jens Spahn prepared the population for further weeks of restrictions on public life even though vaccines are bringing some hope. He said he thought there would probably be a vaccination for everyone by summer. "Step by step, we will get to the point where we no longer let the pandemic control our lives.”

Covid-19 numbers in Bonn

The seven-day incidence rate in Bonn has dropped again to 96.97 as of Friday morning, according to city officials. On Thursday, the figure was 106.06, and on Wednesday it was 115.76. According to the city's website, 320 new cases were registered in the past seven days. 482 people are considered currently infected. 7,818 people have tested positive for coronavirus so far. The number of deaths has risen to 107, meaning that six new deaths have been reported. The deceased are five men aged 82, 83, 63, 76 and 92 years and a 92-year-old woman. 924 people in Bonn are currently in quarantine.

No special privileges for vaccinated passengers on trains

There will be no special privileges for passengers on Deutsche Bahn trains when they have received a Covid-19 vaccine, according to the company's CEO Richard Lutz. "We are adhering to the government guidelines," he told the "Süddeutsche Zeitung" (weekend edition). “It means no one will be able to ride without a mask for the time being just because they show a vaccination card.”

NRW sets aside half of Biontech doses for second shot

North Rhine-Westphalia, in contrast to Bavaria, continues to set aside half of every vaccine shipment from Biontech for the second dose for those who received the first vaccination dose. "In order to be able to guarantee a high probability of immunization of vaccinated persons, ensuring the administration of a second vaccination dose is essential," a spokesman for the NRW health ministry told Deutsche Presse-Agentur on Friday. For this reason, NRW is pursuing a strategy of retaining 50 percent for the second dose. This approach is also consistent with statements made by the Federal Ministry of Health and Biontech. In Bavaria in the future, they plan to set aside a certain amount of vaccines but will no longer keep one in reserve for every person who has been vaccinated.

Pfizer unable to fulfill promised vaccine deliveries

According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the pharmaceutical company Pfizer will not be able to deliver the promised quantity of Covid-19 vaccines in the next three to four weeks. This was communicated at short notice to the EU Commission and consequently to the EU member states, the ministry said on Friday. A spokesman added that the weekly delivery scheduled for Germany on Monday would take place as planned. According to the statement, the reason for the delivery problems is some reconstruction work being completed at Pfizer's plant in Puurs, Belgium in order to increase capacities beginning in mid-February. All countries in the world except the USA are supplied from Puurs. It is still unclear as to how many vaccines will not be available for the time being. Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) and his colleagues discussed the situation in the afternoon, according to the spokesman.

Corona vaccine production approved at Marburg-based Biontech plant

The Mainz-based company Biontech is allowed to produce the Covid-19 vaccine at its new plant in Marburg. An announcement was made by the Hessian state government in Wiesbaden on Friday. Biontech announced that it would remain on schedule to start production in February. According to the company, about four weeks will then typically pass between production and release of the vaccine. In the first half of 2021, Marburg is expected to produce 250 million doses of the vaccine from Biontech and its U.S. partner Pfizer. The Mainz-based company says it is aiming for a total annual production of 750 million doses.

Orig. text: GA

Translation: ck

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