A 101-year-old lady from a nursing home in Saxony-Anhalt is one of Germany's first individuals to undergo a coronavirus vaccine.
On Saturday, the day before Germany formally initiated its coronavirus vaccine program, BioNTech-Pfizer vaccines were launched in the state of Saxony-Anhalt.
Edith Kwoizalla, 101, is the first inhabitant of Krueger Center for Senior Citizens to earn the jab in Halberstadt. Forty tenants and 10 team members have officially been vaccinated at the facility.
Immo Kramer, the region's vaccination center chief, told the German broadcaster MDR per Reuters that every day counts for them.
Vaccinations also started in Hungary, where photos revealed that health care staff received shots at Budapest's Southern Pest Central Hospital. Officials in Slovakia have started prescribing their first doses, Reuters announced.
The President of the Executive Arm of the European Union, Ursula von der Leyen, posted a video ahead of the formal launch on Sunday, declaring the initiative a touching moment of solidarity.
Today, we start turning the page on a difficult year. The #COVID19 vaccine has been delivered to all EU countries.
— Ursula von der Leyen (@vonderleyen) December 26, 2020
Vaccination will begin tomorrow across the EU.
The #EUvaccinationdays are a touching moment of unity. Vaccination is the lasting way out of the pandemic. pic.twitter.com/pYOj5vS2gV
Vaccination launch for Germany starts
Tens of thousands of vaccine doses were sent to regional health officials on Saturday, who dispersed them to local vaccination centers. German health officials have said that the first to be vaccinated would be nursing home patients, seniors above 80, and health care staff.
Health Minister Jens Spahn said the vaccination is the vital key to stopping the virus outbreak at a press conference. She continued that the shot is the secret to helping people to have their lives back.
He said they intend to vaccinate so many citizens that, in Germany and Europe, the virus no longer has a shot.
Spahn noted that each extra vaccine implied fewer illnesses and fewer fatalities.
He recognized that life is saved for all who join. This vaccination is the decisive secret to overcoming this pandemic, according to Spahn. He added that this is the secret to rebuilding our lives.
Spahn has called for young people in Germany to reduce social interaction to minimize the transmission of the coronavirus.
It would be a long-term challenge to battle the infection, he cautioned. But autumn, winter, and Christmas next year are not expected to be marked by this pandemic, he added.
Spahn said that by the end of the year, he planned to produce 1.3 million doses, increasing this number to 700,000 doses a week by the end of January. About 10 million doses of the BioNTech-Pfizer vaccine are anticipated by the end of March.
Defending the joint EU approach to accepting the vaccine, Spahn said they didn't want to go nationwide alone for an emergency permit. He explained that in Europe, too, and in particular in this crisis, they needed to and would continue to stand united.
According to the two firms, the doses for Europe are being manufactured at BioNTech's development sites in Germany and Pfizer's facility in Puurs, Belgium. Countries around the bloc have also started to expect their first deliveries.
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