The country has ordered millions of new doses of an omicron-specific vaccine on order from BioNTech. However, delivery is not expected to take place until April or May
Topics
Coronavirus | Coronavirus Tests | Coronavirus Vaccine
IANS |
Last Updated at December 23, 2021 15:29 IST
Hot on the heels of Israel, Germany has announced the roll out of a fourth Covid booster to tackle the new vaccine evading Omicron variant of coronavirus. Britain is also mulling for the fourth dose, as cases mount.
German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on Wednesday warned that a fourth dose will be necessary to tackle Omicron, Daily Mail reported.
The country has ordered millions of new doses of an omicron-specific vaccine on order from BioNTech. However, delivery is not expected to take place until April or May.
Currently Moderna’s Covid vaccine is used in the booster campaign, Lauterbach said, adding that Germany had also ordered 4 million doses of the new Novavax jab, and 11 million doses of the new Valneva shot, which is waiting for marketing authorisation.
According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control chief, the Omicron variant would be the dominant form of the virus by mid-January, Dw.com reported.
Lothar Wieler said that an infection wave of “unseen momentum” threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system in Germany.
“In the past few days, the number of cases has been declining, but unfortunately, this is not a sign of easing,” Wieler was quoted as saying during a press conference in Berlin.
“We need to get the still very high case numbers down. Christmas must not be the spark that lights the Omicron fire,” he added.
Germany reported 45,659 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, 5,642 fewer than a week ago, while the death toll rose by 510.
Following the lead of Germany and Israel, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is also considering the rollout of a second set of boosters.
The experts at JCVI will weigh up the levels of immunity granted by the extra jab as well as hospitalisation figures, The Telegraph reported.
While people with weakened immune systems are already entitled to a fourth job, this may be extended to the elderly and other vulnerable groups.
The fourth jab would likely come four months after the third if it gets the green light and could be available in the new year, the report said.
“We need to see more data. We are in different circumstances to Israel and we need to see more data on waning immunity and vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation,” Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, was quoted as saying.
The UK reported more than 100,000 new daily infections for the first time on Wednesday.
–IANS
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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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The country has ordered millions of new doses of an omicron-specific vaccine on order from BioNTech. However, delivery is not expected to take place until April or May Topics Coronavirus | Coronavirus Tests | Coronavirus Vaccine IANS | London Last Updated at December 23, 2021 15:29 IST Hot on the heels of Israel, Germany has announced the roll out of a fourth Covid booster to tackle the new vaccine evading Omicron variant of coronavirus. Britain is also mulling for the fourth dose, as cases mount. German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on Wednesday warned that a fourth dose will be necessary to tackle Omicron, Daily Mail reported. The country has ordered millions of new doses of an omicron-specific vaccine on order from BioNTech. However, delivery is not expected to take place until April or May. Currently Moderna’s Covid vaccine is used in the booster campaign, Lauterbach said, adding that Germany had also ordered 4 million doses of the new Novavax jab, and 11 million doses of the new Valneva shot, which is waiting for marketing authorisation. According to Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for disease control chief, the Omicron variant would be the dominant form of the virus by mid-January, Dw.com reported. Lothar Wieler said that an infection wave of “unseen momentum” threatens to overwhelm the healthcare system in Germany. “In the past few days, the number of cases has been declining, but unfortunately, this is not a sign of easing,” Wieler was quoted as saying during a press conference in Berlin. “We need to get the still very high case numbers down. Christmas must not be the spark that lights the Omicron fire,” he added. Germany reported 45,659 new coronavirus cases on Wednesday, 5,642 fewer than a week ago, while the death toll rose by 510. Following the lead of Germany and Israel, the UK’s Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) is also considering the rollout of a second set of boosters. The experts at JCVI will weigh up the levels of immunity granted by the extra jab as well as hospitalisation figures, The Telegraph reported. While people with weakened immune systems are already entitled to a fourth job, this may be extended to the elderly and other vulnerable groups. The fourth jab would likely come four months after the third if it gets the green light and could be available in the new year, the report said. “We need to see more data. We are in different circumstances to Israel and we need to see more data on waning immunity and vaccine effectiveness against hospitalisation,” Professor Anthony Harnden, deputy chair of the JCVI, was quoted as saying. The UK reported more than 100,000 new daily infections for the first time on Wednesday. –IANS rvt/dpb (Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.) Dear Reader, Business Standard has always strived hard to provide up-to-date information and commentary on developments that are of interest to you and have wider political and economic implications for the country and the world. Your encouragement and constant feedback on how to improve our offering have only made our resolve and commitment to these ideals stronger. Even during these difficult times arising out of Covid-19, we continue to remain committed to keeping you informed and updated with credible news, authoritative views and incisive commentary on topical issues of relevance. We, however, have a request. As we battle the economic impact of the pandemic, we need your support even more, so that we can continue to offer you more quality content. Our subscription model has seen an encouraging response from many of you, who have subscribed to our online content. More subscription to our online content can only help us achieve the goals of offering you even better and more relevant content. We believe in free, fair and credible journalism. Your support through more subscriptions can help us practise the journalism to which we are committed. Support quality journalism and subscribe to Business Standard. Digital Editor