The amount of vaccination against Corona may be underestimated in Germany. Experts suspect several causes.
Berlin – Is the vaccination rate in Germany possibly higher than assumed? According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) *, there is a “certain under-certainty” when interpreting data. Several considerations suggested that the reports in the “digital vaccination rate monitoring” (DIM) probably underestimate the rates, according to an RKI report.
Especially among young adults and middle-aged adults, more people could have received a first vaccination than officially recorded.
Corona vaccination quota in Germany: uncertainties with the dashboard?
The DIM feeds on reports from vaccination centers, hospitals, mobile vaccination teams and, in the meantime, company physicians; according to the RKI, data from resident doctors and private doctors are also included. Together they form the basis for the so-called vaccination dashboard. There is also another RKI survey called Covimo, for which vaccination rates are extrapolated based on surveys.
According to the report, the latest Covimo survey from the end of June to mid-July among around 1,000 adults revealed a discrepancy with the DIM. The quota of those who had been vaccinated at least once turned out to be “a lot higher”, especially in the age group of 18 to 59 year olds: While 79 percent stated in the survey that they were vaccinated, according to the reporting system it was 59 percent. The authors of the report write that the actual vaccination rate is likely to be between the values of both sources.
“In terms of the vaccination rates for fully vaccinated people, however, there was no significant difference,” the report says. A certain amount of underreporting in such monitoring systems is also to be expected by experts.
RKI report on corona vaccination quota in Germany: Experts suspect influencing factors
Various explanations are given. One point is the recording of vaccinations with Johnson & Johnson *, where only one dose is provided for full protection. Contract doctors reported these immunizations only as second vaccination doses, in addition, no assignment of vaccine and age group is possible, explains the RKI. In the meantime, there is an indication in the DIM data that the vaccination rates of adults who have been vaccinated at least once are “systematically reported too low” according to age group.
The report also states that so far only about half of the company doctors registered with the reporting system have reported vaccinations via the web application. “This could be an indication of an under-reporting of the vaccination rates by DIM.”
The RKI experts discuss other conceivable influencing factors, such as potential distortions in the survey that could lead to an overestimation of the rate. For example, it can be assumed that people who advocate vaccinations * are more likely to participate than objectors.
Even people without sufficient knowledge of German would not have been able to take part in the interviews. For both aspects, however, the authors point out that there should have been a greater difference between the sources for those who were completely vaccinated.
RKI reports new corona numbers for Germany: Incidence rises to more than 25
The survey report states that 91.6 percent are ready or have already been vaccinated. “The willingness of the population to vaccinate against Covid-19 is at a high level.”
The nationwide 7-day incidence * of new corona infections has risen again and is now 25.1. Like the RKI on Wednesday morning, 4996 new infections and 14 other deaths related to the coronavirus were recorded within 24 hours. A week ago the incidence was 18.5.
Ethics Council Chairman Buyx sees no hidden corona vaccination obligation in Germany
In the opinion of the chairman of the German Ethics Council, Alena Buyx, the abolition of free corona rapid tests is not a hidden compulsory vaccination: “This is not a compulsory vaccination, not even through the back door,” she said on Tuesday evening on “ZDF”. She went on to say: “Compulsory vaccination means that you will be sanctioned as a whole if you are not vaccinated – regardless of what you do”.
In fact, according to the resolutions of the federal and state governments on Tuesday, restaurant visits, for example, are also possible for unvaccinated people with evidence of a negative test result. There is also the alternative of not going to the restaurant. On the other hand, there is a real compulsory vaccination for measles vaccination, according to Buyx.
MPK with Chancellor Merkel resolves stricter rules for unvaccinated people
Chancellor Angela Merkel * (CDU) and the heads of government of the federal states had previously decided that the free Corona citizen tests will be abolished on October 11th. If you can then still be tested, you have to pay yourself.
Those who have not yet been vaccinated will have tougher test regulations from 23 August: they will then have to submit a negative test in order to come as a visitor to hospitals and old people’s homes, to be allowed to go to restaurants or pubs, to the cinema, to the hairdresser or to do sports indoors . Rapid antigen tests must not be older than 24 hours and PCR tests not more than 48 hours old.
The government’s goal is to get more people to vaccinate. (AFP / dpa / frs) * Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
