101-year old Edith Lohmueller was the first person in Germany to receive the vaccine earlier this month
Credit: Thomas Lohnes/Getty Images Europe
Officials in charge of Germany’s coronavirus vaccination programme have been forced to guess people’s ages from their first names because of local privacy laws.
Authorities in the state of Lower Saxony wanted to send letters to all residents aged over 80 to invite them to make vaccination appointments. But they have been blocked from using official records and have resorted to trying to guess people’s ages .
As a result, a 25-year-old with a name considered old-fashioned, such as Wolfgang or Waltraud, is more likely to receive a letter than an 85-year-old called Michael or Angela.
The bureaucratic snarl-up is the latest in a series of obstacles to slow the vaccine roll-out in Germany, which is lagging far behind the UK and other countries. Officials say they hope it will not prevent anyone from being vaccinated. The letters are purely advisory, and are not needed to get an appointment.
Germany’s privacy laws are a familiar bugbear for anyone who has ever tried to do business in the country. They are so tough that police are not allowed to name suspects and courts cannot name convicted criminals.
But in this case regional data protection rules in the state of Lower Saxony are to blame. Other German regions have been able to access public records to send appointment letters without difficulty.
Germany is facing a vaccine shortage after entrusting orders to the European Commission
Credit: KARINA HESSLAND/REUTERS
“Because of legal restrictions, the state unfortunately cannot obtain the addresses of those entitled to vaccinations from the official register,” the Lower Saxony regional government said in a statement. “That is why not all over-80s will receive a letter.”
Officials are using the German post office’s database of names and addresses instead, but it only contains limited information on people’s ages.
“In addition, statistical data on estimated ages based on first names is used to increase the probability of reaching the right recipients,” the statement says.
Under Germany’s federal system, the 16 states are free to set their own data protection regulations within the framework of national law.
In several states, including Saxony, Schleswig-Holstein and Hamburg, authorities are allowed to use public records. Others have found ways to get round their own privacy rules. In Baden-Württemberg, the regional government is sending letters to every household in the state.
Angela Merkel has admitted Germany may not have enough vaccine until July
Credit: FABRIZIO BENSCH/REUTERS
North Rhine-Westphalia, Germany’s most populous state, has entrusted sending letters to municipalities, which are allowed to use their own records on local residents. Hesse, home to Germany’s financial capital Frankfurt, has commissioned an IT company to research residents’ ages and send letters.
Germans face a similar patchwork of different regional rules when it comes to actually getting a vaccination. Some states require residents to use an app or telephone hotline to book an appointment, while in others they can contact vaccination centres directly.
Angela Merkel admitted this week that Germany is facing a vaccine shortage and may not be able to secure sufficient stocks until July. The debacle comes after Germany entrusted its vaccine orders to the European Commission, which failed to secure enough doses.
Mrs Merkel reportedly overruled a bid by Jens Spahn, the health minister, to order more doses last summer and insisted all orders go through the EU.
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