HomeNewsWorldGermany's Angela Merkel gets Moderna as second shot after getting AstraZeneca as the first

Germany's Angela Merkel gets Moderna as second shot after getting AstraZeneca as the first

The 66-year-old took her first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine in April, more than two weeks after German authorities then recommended use of the jab only for people aged 60 and over.

June 22, 2021 / 19:04 IST
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German Chancellor Angela Merkel received a Moderna coronavirus vaccine as her second jab, after getting AstraZeneca as the first, a spokesman said Tuesday.
The 66-year-old took her first dose of AstraZeneca's vaccine in April, more than two weeks after German authorities then recommended use of the jab only for people aged 60 and over.

In 2019, she sparked concerns for her health with a series of shaking spells in public but has appeared to be in good condition since then.

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After a stuttering start, Germany's vaccination roll-out has sharply accelerated in recent weeks.

As at Tuesday, one in two, or 51.2 percent of the population have received their first dose.

COVID-19 Vaccine
Frequently Asked Questions

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How does a vaccine work?

A vaccine works by mimicking a natural infection. A vaccine not only induces immune response to protect people from any future COVID-19 infection, but also helps quickly build herd immunity to put an end to the pandemic. Herd immunity occurs when a sufficient percentage of a population becomes immune to a disease, making the spread of disease from person to person unlikely. The good news is that SARS-CoV-2 virus has been fairly stable, which increases the viability of a vaccine.

How many types of vaccines are there?

There are broadly four types of vaccine — one, a vaccine based on the whole virus (this could be either inactivated, or an attenuated [weakened] virus vaccine); two, a non-replicating viral vector vaccine that uses a benign virus as vector that carries the antigen of SARS-CoV; three, nucleic-acid vaccines that have genetic material like DNA and RNA of antigens like spike protein given to a person, helping human cells decode genetic material and produce the vaccine; and four, protein subunit vaccine wherein the recombinant proteins of SARS-COV-2 along with an adjuvant (booster) is given as a vaccine.

What does it take to develop a vaccine of this kind?

Vaccine development is a long, complex process. Unlike drugs that are given to people with a diseased, vaccines are given to healthy people and also vulnerable sections such as children, pregnant women and the elderly. So rigorous tests are compulsory. History says that the fastest time it took to develop a vaccine is five years, but it usually takes double or sometimes triple that time.
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AFP
first published: Jun 22, 2021 06:53 pm

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