The coronavirus vaccine

When can I get the coronavirus vaccine?

Various factors play a role: Since there are different vaccines on the market, vaccine approval and distribution may vary considerably between countries. Also, the more vaccines get approved along the way, people may get the vaccine sooner than expected. Moreover, deciding who gets vaccinated first depends on people’s age, health risk, and occupational group.

Germany has approved Biontech's Covid-19 vaccine and has since started rolling it out for people in certain risk groups. This includes people over 80 years of age, residents of nursing and retirement homes, and healthcare workers.

According to Germany’s Health Minister Jens Spahn, most Germans will probably be able to get vaccinated by the second quarter of this year, meaning sometime from April to June 2021.

Until most people have immunity, measures such as social distancing and wearing masks remain particularly important.

The following figure shows the current status of coronavirus vaccine development*:

*After approval, all vaccines will continuously be monitored and checked in additional, ongoing studies.

Current status of coronavirus vaccines

The process of vaccine approval varies between countries. There are already several vaccines that have been approved in certain countries but not in others. Also, a large number of additional vaccines are still under development and testing. Thus, the number of approved vaccines may continue to increase in the future. You can find a detailed overview of the different vaccines and their current status in the table below.

Different approaches are used in vaccine development: Some rely on tried and trusted concepts while others involve testing completely new methods. No matter which approach is taken, all vaccines have to go through the same approval steps and their safety and efficacy must be proven in clinical trials. In the end, the main differences between different vaccine types are the different methods that they use to stimulate the human immune system.

Traditional vaccines work by delivering viral components (antigens) to antibodies and immune cells in the body. Newer vaccines, on the other hand, train the immune system by delivering the instructions or “blueprint” for producing the viral antigens instead. It is conceivable that several different vaccines and vaccine types will be available at the same time.

The following figure shows the number and type of vaccines that are currently in each phase of development and testing (State 26.07.2021, Source):

Approval of vaccines in Germany and Europe

For all EU member states, the path to vaccine approval is coordinated by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and follows a centralized evaluation procedure by the European Commission. This involves evaluating the efficacy, quality, and safety of the vaccine.

The pharmaceutical companies must fulfill the following five conditions, which are standardized across the European Union, the United States, and Japan:

1. Compliance with administrative requirements regarding, for example, user information (package leaflet) and detailed plans for follow-up
2. Detailed summaries of the procedure
3. Documentation of quality and of the manufacturing methods used
4. Results of preclinical laboratory studies of efficacy
5. Comprehensive report on human clinical trial phases

In Germany, the approval process for COVID-19 vaccines consists of three main stages:

1. The European Medicines Agency (EMA) approves the use of a new vaccine.
2. The European Commission grants its approval.
3. The Paul Ehrlich Institute reviews and issues the release of the vaccine batches.

Source

Vaccination intention and belief that vaccination against coronavirus should be compulsory

Rated on a scale from 1 (rejection) to 7 (acceptance).
Mean values and 95% confidence intervals.
The percentages represent the proportion of people who agree (strongly) with the statements.
Between May 19 and June 9 no acceptance of compulsory vaccination was recorded.

Source

Who should get vaccinated?

Due to ongoing clinical trials and incomplete data, there are currently no specific recommendations about who should get vaccinated. However, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Standing Committee on Immunization (STIKO) have drafted a general, risk-based, prioritization strategy with the goal of preventing as many severe cases and deaths as possible.

Various factors might play a role in future vaccination recommendations. These include age, pre-existing conditions, or exposure at work – especially for people who work in hospitals or schools. A final recommendation will be made based on vaccine properties and epidemiological data.

You can find out more about the topic of vaccination in our article “Lässt sich die Grippe von COVID-19 unterscheiden und lohnt sich eine Grippeimpfung?", which is currently only available in German.

What are the potential side effects?

The top priority in the whole approval process is making sure these vaccines are safe. Investigating side effects is one of the most important research questions in current clinical trials. Up-to-date preliminary data on the side effects of individual vaccines is available in the www.clinicaltrials.gov database. Different vaccination types might have different side effects, but the basic safety of a vaccine is tested during the early clinical phases.

Some rare side effects may only become apparent after the vaccine has been approved. For this reason, vaccines are monitored even after approval. As with all medicines, anyone – not just doctors – can report side effects directly to the Paul-Ehrlich-Institute.