A GP from North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany, could not stand by and watch vaccine doses simply being thrown away because people do not want to be vaccinated with AstraZeneca.
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Peter Weitkamp, whose office receives almost no Biontech deliveries anymore, unceremoniously posted on eBay the leftover vaccine doses from AstraZeneca, for a special offer.
Vaccines to give away
On the Internet, the general practitioner and cardiologist from Kirchlengern already offered vaccine doses for several days so that they may not expire pointlessly. He explains to the German Press Agency:
It would be madness to let the reliable and effective vaccine go to waste.
Since, according to the official recommendation of the STIKO, only people over 60 should still be vaccinated with AstraZeneca in Germany, many citizens remain sceptical about this vaccine.
This is quite problematic for the doctors' offices, which are supposed to help in the fight against Coronavirus. They cannot vaccinate with Biontech because it goes to the vaccination centres.
Almost no more Biontech doctors' offices
According to Weitkamp, doctors' offices now almost exclusively receive the controversial vaccine from AstraZeneca, which has already been suspended several times for safety reasons.
From his point of view, the STIKO recommendation to observe an age limit from 60 is not correct, as doctors would make themselves liable if they injected a younger person AstraZeneca.
The state withdraws from liability. Instead, the doctors in private practice are to be liable, which is a scandal.
However, since there are still enough under 60s who want to have AstraZeneca, they would then have to turn to the doctors' offices, because the vaccination centres strictly adhere to the recommendation.
Ebay to the rescue
He himself also hardly gets any supplies from Biontech and therefore hardly vaccinates at all any more. That is why he will start treating those who want to take up his Ebay offer next week.
Although the STIKO advises against a second vaccination with AstraZeneca if one has already received the first injection, Weitkamp wants to administer the vaccine to his patients. Of course, only with their consent.
Due to AstraZeneca's bad image, people over 60 would also prefer Biontech and seize the younger people's places in the vaccination centres. Weitkamp wants to counteract this.
