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Major General Carsten Breuer Visits ZEPAI for an Exchange of Expertise

09 / 2022

  • At the beginning of May 2022, the Center for Pandemic Vaccines and Therapeutics (ZEPAI) at the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut took over the task of actively managing the pandemic vaccine supply for the population from the German Armed Forces
  • The meeting was an opportunity for both sides to share knowledge

"Today we have excellent vaccine logistics. Anyone can get vaccinated anywhere at any time. This is a very important building block in the fight against the virus. Today I got to know a highly motivated, committed and professional team and I know this challenge is in good hands at the ZEPAI. We will have to deal with further waves and virus variants. Experts agree completely on this point. Together, we must prepare for autumn now. A solid vaccine supply will be an advantage to us in the next virus season. We have learned from the past."
Major General Carsten Breuer, Head of the Federal Government's Corona Crisis Unit

"Our mission is to ensure the population's pandemic vaccine supply. This includes not only the active oversight and monitoring of vaccine storage, but also, in particular, the targeted distribution of vaccines."
Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, Acting Director of the ZEPAI

From left to right: Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding (ZEPAI), Dr Gesa Miehe-Nordmeyer (Federal Government), Major General Carsten Breuer (Source: B.Morgenroth/Paul-Ehrlich-Institut) From left to right: Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding (Acting Director of the ZEPAI), Dr Gesa Miehe-Nordmeyer (Head of the Department for Social, Health, Labour Market, Environmental and Social Policy in the Federal Government), Major General Carsten Breuer (Head of the Federal Government's Corona Crisis Unit). Source: B.Morgenroth/Paul-Ehrlich-Institut

Press Release

The acting director of the Center for Pandemic Vaccines and Therapeutics (ZEPAI), Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, welcomed a visit from the head of the federal government's Corona Crisis Unit, Major General Carsten Breuer, in Langen (Hesse) on Monday, 16 May 2022. At the beginning of May, the ZEPAI took over the task of actively managing the population's pandemic vaccine supply in Germany. This task was previously under the purview of the German Armed Forces. The meeting provided time for an exchange of knowledge. The discussions were attended by Professor Klaus Cichutek, President of the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Dr Gesa Miehe-Nordmeyer, Head of the Division for Social, Health, Labour Market, Environmental and Social Policy in the Federal Government, Dr Lars Nickel, Head of the "Medicinal Products" subdivision of the Federal Ministry of Health (BMG), and ZEPAI leadership.

The focus of the visit was a discussion of central technical questions on the topic of pandemic vaccine supply for the population in Germany, such as the requirements for digitalisation. The visit was kicked off with a joint exchange of knowledge with the acting director of ZEPAI, Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, Major General Carsten Breuer and ZEPAI leadership. Major General Carsten Breuer briefed the team about his work as head of the federal government's Corona Crisis Unit.

A discussion with the ZEPAI distribution team was next on the agenda. The distribution team reported on their experiences since taking over pandemic vaccine distribution in early May. In addition to operational and strategic logistics, their report focused in particular on the importance of digitalisation in the distribution process.

In the final meeting, Professor Isabelle Bekeredjian-Ding, Professor Klaus Cichutek and Major General Carsten Breuer emphasised the common goal of continuing to ensure rapid and safe pandemic management with vaccines and therapeutics in Germany. The ZEPAI's vision to limit pandemic damage will be implemented through a framework to provide pandemic vaccines within three to six months of the emergence of a new pathogen.

Updated: 16.05.2022