“Every day counts for me”: That’s what health senator Ulrike Gote (Greens) said recently in relation to the monkeypox vaccination. It should start this week, but apparently it will be difficult to meet this goal – even though 8,000 vaccine doses are already in Berlin.
Because the contract between the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and the health administration has not yet been signed, says Gotes spokeswoman Laura Hofmann on request. The administration hopes that this will happen by the end of the week. Maybe it could start after all, otherwise in the coming week.
The contract regulates the implementation of vaccinations in practices and, above all, the insurance for the doctors there.
According to Hofmann, vaccinations should be carried out in HIV specialist practices, at the Charité, in the Auguste Viktoria Hospital, in the St. Joseph Hospital and at Checkpoint, the HIV advice center on Hermannplatz. It can be heard from infectiology centers that the waiting lists are already long – but there are ambiguities as to which practice can then really vaccinate.
Time is pressing all the more as Berlin is the hotspot in Germany with 761 confirmed infections.
In principle, the infections can affect anyone. So far, however, infections in Berlin have only been recognized in men, most of whom say they have sex with men. Also because the CSD is imminent, which could potentially be a spreader event, hurry is required, according to the queer community.
Gote’s spokeswoman contradicted the impression that the wait for the vaccination in Berlin would drag on: Other federal states were also no further along, for example NRW only wanted to start next week. The topic is very important to Gote, she puts pressure on her every day.
In Hanover, for example, some resident doctors are already vaccinating, said regional president Steffen Krach (SPD) on request. You are in coordination with the doctors and the country.
There is full vaccination protection 14 days after a second vaccination – but protection begins to build up after the first vaccination. The second vaccination is according to RKI guidelines. If you already have a smallpox vaccination, you now only need one vaccination. The RKI now expects that monkeypox will not be contained until autumn at the earliest.
