Germany to open up COVID vaccine appointments to all adults from June 7

As promised, Germany will scrap its priority list and start offering coronavirus vaccines to all adults from June 7. This was confirmed by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn on Monday. 

All adults in Germany can get vaccinated after June 7

“We have agreed to lift the priority system on June 7… in doctor’s practices, among company doctors and in vaccination centres,” Spahn announced on Monday, following talks with health ministers from Germany’s 16 federal states. 

The change means that vaccine doses will no longer be reserved for people according to their age, job or medical history. Instead, from June 7 onwards, everybody living in Germany aged 16 or over will be eligible for their vaccine. 

However, with vaccine supply still limited, Spahn called for continued patience while people wait for appointments, adding that the vaccination campaign is still expected to continue well into the summer. “Even when the prioritisation is lifted, that doesn't mean anyone who wants to can get vaccinated in June,” he said. “But I can say that anyone in Germany who wants to be vaccinated to protect themselves and others will get an offer.”

40 million vaccine doses already administered

Germany is currently still in the process of vaccinating members of priority group 3, which includes people over the age of 60, individuals with pre-existing health conditions that make them vulnerable to COVID-19, and frontline key workers such as supermarket staff. 

The federal republic recently administered its 40 millionth vaccine dose. According to the vaccine dashboard, 37 percent of the population has now received at least one jab, while 11,2 percent of the population is fully vaccinated. A further 15 million people are due to receive a vaccine dose over the next three weeks before June 7.