germany is gearing up to launch an
unprecedented mass vaccination program
on sunday shipments of the biontech
pfizer vaccine have started to arrive in
germany and countries across the
european union
but despite expressing optimism about
the start of the inoculation campaign
germany's health minister warned the
coronavirus has not yet
been beaten this is the biggest
vaccination campaign that modern germany
has known
army and medical personnel have been
enlisted to ensure all goes well
from sunday the first doses of the
biotech fighter vaccine will be given in
care and nursing homes
they'll also be distributed to the
special centers set up all over the
country for mass but voluntary
vaccination
despite its critics german house
minister yen span said the immunization
campaign meant there was every reason
for optimism
the vaccination centers are ready to go
the teams are ready
everyone wants the success of the
biggest vaccination campaign of the
history
of federal germany this is federalism
at its best and naturally
some will also say that tomorrow is too
little
too late to european but i would like
that tomorrow is seen for what it is
an extraordinary day for germany
an important day for the battle against
the pandemic of a century
in a survey of the german population a
hugo polls reveals
that 32 percent of respondents want to
receive the vaccine as soon as possible
another 33 percent want to wait until
they see how the vaccine affects other
people
with 19 of those asked and willing to
take the job
and 16 undecided
let's just finish the corona thing it's
a problem
like just we need it it's important at
the moment
i don't know i'm thinking about it but
it causes an allergic reaction and i
have allergies
and i have asthma i don't know yes of
course we have to i'm afraid of corona
when vaccine some everybody try before
me
i don't want to be the first to try
the german house ministry has promised
over a million doses of the vaccine will
be delivered before the end of the year
the vaccine raises hope for many but the
hurst crisis is far from over
germany near the thousand daily deaths
just before christmas
and many worried at festive family
reunions could result in a catastrophic
third wave
in early january and for more on this
let's talk with our chief political
editor mikhail kuchner
mikhaila the vaccine was developed in
germany
why is it only now reaching germans when
some other countries have been injecting
it for at least a week
yes that's because the europeans and
germany also
opted for a thorough um campaign
to look at this to have the european
agency in charge
give the green light for the whole of
the eu to be able to use it this slowed
down the process it would have been
faster if individual states
have put that on a had put that on a
fast track
but they didn't because they also wanted
to send a european
a united signal and that we will see as
this gets rolled out the very same day
across the european union
but sure this also sparked a lot of
debate and a lot of criticism
particularly in the public
why does britain the us get those
vaccinations first when they are
developed in germany
and you were talking to me about europe
sending a message will the distribution
be fair between the richer
countries like germany and some of the
less rich countries
like germany and some of the less rich
countries well that's certainly what the
european commission
aims for it's seen as a symbolic
more than a symbolic gesture that the
entire eu rolls it out
at the very same time germany
signed up for the first charge of this
vaccine when it was still
unclear whether it would actually work
and
and now we will see over a million doses
here in germany
and in parallel across the european
union
rolled out at the same time but this is
a drop in the ocean if you look at the
figures here in germany every
state will receive up to ten thousand
doses and you need two of those
so really it's the most vulnerable
who will be reached first and among that
group a very small fraction
and mikhail if you're living in germany
now that seems to be two things
happening
at the same time we've got these vaccine
rollouts which are offering hope
but at the same time we've had these
hard lockdowns across the region
is there any sign of when life might
actually return to some kind of normal
is there any sign of when life might
actually return to some kind
well i mean you mentioned in your intro
that um
tens of millions of vaccinations will be
possible in the first half of 2021
and that's still very much the timeline
that we are in that's also the measure
message that came across quite clearly
from the german health minister yen
span today that all those regulations in
place keeping distance and mars
are still here to stay but that the
vaccination will allow
life to return to something like normal
before the next autumn
so yes we are still in the midst of a
pandemic
we see all neighboring austria go into
its third lockdown
germany is in its second and we're still
a far cry from seeing those
figures really improve significantly
with this small caveat
of the um days over christmas here but
we know that for sure not all cases are
being reported
so um all societies not just in europe
are still in this for the long haul
okay so perhaps some light at the end of
the tunnel but still a very long time
mikaela koofner thank you so much for
that
across the atlantic giant immunization
programs have already begun in three
latin american countries
they are mexico chile and costa rica but
all
eyes are on brazil it has the world's
second highest covert 19 death toll
and has not yet approved a vaccine
it's been a week of celebrating firsts
in latin america
the first shipment arrivals of vaccines
the first jabs for healthcare workers
and those at risk
it's the best gift in 2020
i understand people are suspicious it's
something new
but you have to have faith and get
vaccinated as soon as possible
chile mexico and costa rica have all
begun administering the pfizer biontech
vaccine
argentina meanwhile has received its
first doses of russia's sputnik 5
vaccine
with plans to begin vaccinations next
week
but in brazil which has one of the
highest rates of covert 19 infections in
the world
there have been mixed messages
the bhutan tan institute has announced
that their trial of the chinese sinovac
vaccine
had achieved who's required efficiency
levels
the very next day brazil's president
revealed his lack of confidence in it
the efficiency of that vaccine in sao
paulo seems to be down
i will not disclose a percentage here
because if i make a 0.001
error i'll be beaten up by the media i
want a vaccine that is safe and
effective
that meets its objectives there are a
lot of scared people at home
let's wait for the vaccine
but while the nations that have begun
rolling out the vaccine are optimistic
warnings to remain vigilant against the
virus remain in place
well here in germany vaccine shipments
are underway for the start of the
national immunisation program due to
start tomorrow
germany weathered the early months of
the pandemic relatively well
infection numbers and deaths were low
compared to many other countries
but for those who've had covert 19
recovery can be a real struggle
peggy is one of 40 covid survivors here
suffering from long-term effects of the
illness
on germany's baltic sea coast their
symptoms are being treated at a
rehabilitation center
after the virus peggy felt burnt out she
suffered from dizzy spells
and chronic pain
also the cognitive ensuring in some
cases i also had cognitive difficulties
like my head wasn't functioning properly
i couldn't hear
had poor vision and couldn't follow
conversations well
often covet patients like peggy say
their concerns
aren't being taken seriously by their
doctors
[Music]
it's very difficult for some doctors to
understand when they look at me
i look healthy physically i'm reasonably
strong
at least i appear to be and then you get
dismissed very quickly they say
her mind is not okay
i'm not afraid but i still wonder if i
will
ever be the same again
as a covered survivor peggy has
officially recovered from the illness
but she says it feels like coronavirus
has stolen her healthy body
and left her with a sick one in its
place
peggy has been here for two weeks now
her main goal is to get her mental
health
back on track
let's take a look now at some of the
other developments in the coronavirus
pandemic
south korea has recorded its second
highest daily number of infections since
the disease broke out over 1
100 new cases were reported a day after
a previous record was set
russia has passed the 3 million
threshold of covert 19 cases
the country has reported record numbers
of infections and deaths nearly every
week but
a new lockdown is not in sight and parts
of sydney will re-interlock down on
sunday after a rise in
infections australian authorities have
called on people to stay home
and not go shopping