"I am annoyed beyond measure. It's like the first vaccine. We are told to order, and then they cut back," said Latz. In this particular case, the order was reduced by 97 per cent. The result: the cancellation of appointments for hundreds of patients by phone. "For me, that's when the prioritisation starts. Which of my patients has priority? Who should go first?" continues Latz. After all, he says, a whole series of seriously ill patients with cancer and other pre-existing conditions come to him.

Latz is a vaccination advocate and had already drummed up support for the vaccine during the first campaigns. This time, too, he had actively approached his patients and recommended vaccination. He says: "In view of the fact that Health Minister Lauterbach has courted the vaccination campaign so much in recent weeks, I cannot understand a cut on this scale."

At the end of August, the Federal Health Minister had announced the delivery of about 14 million doses of the modified Omikron vaccines from the companies Biontech and Moderna. After the EU-wide approval, immunisations should start nationwide in the week beginning 5 September and the following week. Lauterbach had publicly emphasised the good protection of the new vaccines: "Vaccines are now really coming that cover a wider area. Now I would be very careful for a few days, but then also wait for the new vaccines." The new vaccines are also very likely to protect against infection, Lauterbach said. There are therefore additional reasons for vaccination. When asked how the supply bottlenecks had come about and when more extensive doses could be expected, his ministry did not provide any information.

In any case, Latz's practice was not the only one whose supply was severely curtailed. Ute Schneider-Jacobs from the Burg pharmacy, which supplies Latz and other doctors, spoke of "exorbitant" cuts, which she herself only learned about at the beginning of last week. "Of course, it is not very pleasant for us to have to deliver the bad news," said Schneider-Jacobs, who is also the press spokesperson for the North Rhine Pharmacists' Association for Bonn. She received the news from the pharmacy wholesaler, who explained the short supply with the high demand. She said that cuts have already been announced for the end of this week. Schneider-Jacobs said she did not yet know the extent of the cuts.

Katharina Freischlad, a pharmacist in Pützchen and also deputy chairperson of the local Bonn-Rhein-Sieg Pharmacists' Association, has similar reports. The orders from the doctors in Beuel, whom she supplies, have not arrived in full either. However, they had ordered less than Latz. She also only received the information "that the demand is greater than the availability". Freischlad hopes that the wholesalers will soon deliver more.

The supply bottlenecks also affect the city of Bonn, which had to cancel a planned open vaccination date as a result. According to the city, the complete distribution of Covid-19 vaccines is done through the logistics system of pharmaceutical wholesalers and pharmacies. "Contrary to what was announced by the Federal Ministry of Health, pharmaceutical wholesalers were not supplied with the adjusted vaccines in time during the calendar week of 5 to 11 September, which is why no delivery could be made to pharmacies and from there to service providers such as vaccination centres and doctors' practices," said Deputy City Spokesperson Marc Hoffmann on the reasons for the cuts.

The city has not yet set a new day for open vaccination appointments with the adjusted vaccines. "As soon as the adjusted vaccine has been delivered, it will be available for vaccinations at the municipal vaccination centre in Bonn's city hall. The Federal City of Bonn has no confirmed information on when the delivery will take place," Hoffmann said.

Original text: Philipp Königs

Translation: Mareike Graepel