Germany promotes use of 'Rolls-Royce' Moderna shot

The Moderna shot is the luxury option among vaccines.

At least that was according to German health minister Jens Spahn on Monday (November 22).

"Moderna is a good, safe and very effective vaccine. Some doctors who carry out vaccinations say Biontech is the Mercedes among vaccines and Moderna is the Rolls Royce. I believe this makes very clear that we have two very good mRNA vaccines available, both for the first and the second shot as well as the booster."

Spahn was eager to promote the Moderna jab amid fears that stocks of the Pfizer/BioNTech product could run low.

That's as the country races to roll out booster shots to head off a possible fourth wave of the pandemic.

Germany is also keen to use up stocks of the Moderna product that are due to expire early next year - some 16 million doses of it.

Figures out Monday showed the country's infection count hit more than 30,000 over 24 hours, up 7,000 on a week ago.

In response, Germany's 16 states are rolling out boosters, encouraging the unvaccinated to get shots, and imposing a patchwork of restrictions.

Among other measures, Christmas markets have been cancelled in Bavaria and the eastern state of Saxony.