Will vaccination soon be mandatory in Germany? At the moment this is still uncertain. Virologist Klaus Stöhr has now taken apart a first draft with key points on Twitter.
Berlin – In Austria, vaccination has been compulsory since Sunday, February 6th. It is still uncertain whether this scenario will also apply to Germany in the distant future. However, a group of deputies from the traffic light coalition has already presented a concept for general vaccination from the age of 18*. Virologist Klaus Stöhr sharply attacks this draft in a tweet in five points – and takes the document apart step by step.
Vaccination obligation in Germany: Stöhr criticizes key point paper
Point 1 – Infection numbers and overload in the healthcare system: “What problems do I see in the key issues paper: A. Objective unclear: Infection numbers are not relevant. It’s the burden of the disease,” tweeted the virologist. And further: “Overburdening of the health care system: aren’t there any statements here that an overload has never occurred across the board/generally?” For comparison: In the key point paper mentioned, the first point of the objective is that said compulsory vaccination should “society (… ) and protect the healthcare system (…) from renewed overload due to high infection rates”.
However, a look at the hospitals and clinics in Germany currently shows: Although the number of infections is increasing rapidly throughout Germany as a result of Omikron, the situation in the hospitals is comparatively more relaxed than with the Delta variant. The Munich chief physician Clemens Wendtner* warns, however, that sooner or later the normal wards could also reach their limit.
Stöhr criticizes the cornerstone of the corona vaccination obligation – he lacks details
Point 2 – basic immunity: “How high (in numbers!) should ‘high basic immunity’ be? Wouldn’t #OmicronVariant Infection. reach them?” says Stöhr. “If ‘before next winter’, then the last vaccination should only take place in October/November, otherwise the immune protection (if without natural immunization) has fallen again,” he continues to criticize. The cornerstone paper argues, among other things, with the statement “to build up high basic immunity in good time before next winter in order to be prepared for the next (…) corona wave”, three vaccinations per person are planned. However, concrete facts and figures on basic immunity and the timing of vaccinations are not yet discussed here.
Point 3 – Time frame: “Time component: compulsory vaccination would have little/no effect this winter due to the regulatory/logistical effort. In the summer, infection pressure will fall into the bottomless. Whether vaccination is necessary next winter (and for whom) should represent. Studies show in the summer,” is another point of criticism from Stöhr. In said draft, the vaccination requirement is limited to December 31, 2023. The fact is, however, that in the past two Corona summers, the number of infections fell significantly in both cases.
Vaccination obligation in Germany: Stöhr criticized – “is presented without alternative”
Point 4 – Alternatives: Fourth point of the Stöhr criticism: “The vaccination requirement is presented without alternatives: without showing the clear advantages over alternatives, the advantages / disadvantages remain unclear,” tweeted the virologist. You will actually look in vain for this in the said document.
Item 5 – Vaccination breakthroughs: “It should be made clear that even with a potentially 100% vaccination in the adult. Population only about max. 50% of the current occupancy in the hospitals and intensive care units can be avoided: there will continue to be vaccination breakthroughs/pressure on ICUs,” is the last point of Stöhr’s Twitter post. Where the virologist gets this information from – especially about the hospital occupancy – he leaves unanswered. As is well known, the Corona * experiences of the last few weeks and months show that breakthroughs can occur despite multiple vaccinations.
Key data paper or not. However, one thing is certain: whether compulsory vaccination will be introduced in Germany at all is still in the stars. This will probably not be voted on in the Bundestag until March.
You can read more news about the corona virus here.* *Merkur.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA (kof)
