The German government recently ordered 100 million doses of BA.1 and BA.4/5 bivalent vaccines, costing them 2.5 billion euros ($2.47 billion). But nobody seems to want them.
In Furth in Middle Franconia, only 85 showed up to get their booster. The district has 120,000 residents.
"We've tried to make it as easy as possible for people," said Michael Hubmann, a pediatrician who is coordinating the vaccination campaign.
He explained that the vaccinations were offered simultaneously in two shopping centers, a bus, a home for the elderly and a former shop in the pedestrian zone, but hardly anyone wanted to have the fourth dose.
Markus Beier, chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners, said: "Unfortunately, the interest in the fourth dose had been low."
He insisted it is important that people over 60 and those comorbidities protect themselves by getting their second booster. "There is uncertainty among the population as to what further vaccinations will achieve. But they still strengthen protection against severe outcome," he said.
Meanwhile, large quantities of the vaccines are expiring. At the end of August, 3.9 million doses of Moderna and another 700,000 doses of Novavax had to be thrown away.
Mandates lead to inequities and decreased uptake of vaccines
When measles vaccine mandates came into effect in Germany in March 2020, schools required proof of immunization for children attending school and staff in different facilities. If implemented with care and in a context-sensitive manner, mandates can be successful.
However, it can also lead to inequities and decreased uptake of other vaccines.
A study investigated the acceptance and unintended consequences of Wuhan coronavirus (COVID-19) vaccine mandates in Germany. The study can provide valuable insights for policymakers in their discussions on making COVID-19 vaccination mandatory. (Related: German resistance: Unvaccinated Germans stand by their decision not to receive COVID-19 vaccines.)
For instance, the researchers found that half a year after the introduction of the mandate, parents with low socioeconomic status knew less about the mandate and the measles vaccine compared to parents with medium to high socio-economic status.
The same is true for both education and income as domains for socio-economic status. Citizens should be equally well-informed about the vaccine mandate and the vaccine itself because those who do not follow the law will be given sanctions.
In September, general practitioners in Germany were supplied with booster vaccines directed at the omicron BA.1 version and the original virus detected in Wuhan, China. However, according to the association of general practitioners, the demand for booster vaccinations remains low as some patients wait for a booster designed to combat the currently circulating BA.4/5 subvariants.
"We haven't seen a big jump in demand in the few days we've been vaccinating BA.1," Jens Lassen, chairman of the Schleswig-Holstein Association, told reporters.
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommended the COVID-19 booster, which was designed to combat the Omicron BA.4/5 subvariants, just days after endorsing a pair of boosters tailored to target the older BA.1 Omicron variant.
No matter the vaccine, EMA Executive Director Emer Cooke said people should take whatever booster is available to them in the coming months, although the chairperson of the German association of general practitioners, Ulrich Weigeldt, believes that it is confusing for citizens to choose their vaccine with three different booster shots made available for them.
Global Research, however, believes the disinterest in vaccines is not about the number of options to choose from. Rather, it is the people's experience post-vaccination. Demand for the vaccine, the publication said, was at its highest in the beginning, before anybody had any direct experience with its adverse effects.
When fewer people decided to get their shots in the fall, the government tied the vaccination to specific social privileges. However, as more and more people got vaccinated, the interest in the vaccines and the booster shots all but evaporated – making it the ultimate vindication for those who had been saying that the vaccines are overhyped pharmaceuticals with bad side effects.
"A safe and effective product would only gain momentum with the population. It took less than two years for these to wear out their welcome" the publication said.
Visit Vaccines.news for more news about the new COVID-19 vaccine boosters.
Watch the video below to learn more about the adverse effects of COVID-19 vaccines.
This video is from the Puretrauma357 channel on Brighteon.com.
More related stories:
German government admits COVID vaccines cause severe side effects.
German lawmakers push for MANDATORY shot, blame unvaccinated for continued COVID-19 restrictions.
German parliament REJECTS proposed COVID vaccine mandate after months of debate.
Sources include:
BMCPublicHealth.BioMedCentral.com
Please contact us for more information.