Great hope or horror scenario? New antibody tests could soon shed light on the corona crisis - but an idea from the German government also causes horror.
- Due to the Corona * pandemic, major restrictions have been necessary in Germany for many weeks .
- New hope of easing brought the news of new antibody tests on May 4.
- A reform of the Infection Protection Act is also planned . It also causes great concerns in the government parties.
- Here you will find our guide to reporting * and the Corona News from Germany. The following recommendations for corona protective measures * are currently available.
Berlin / Penzberg - The corona crisis is an enormous challenge for politics: huge ambiguities about the virus, as well as great desires in terms of health protection on the one hand, in terms of freedom and economy on the other - it is anything but easy, well balanced and with To act with due regard to all risks and rights. However, even considering this fact, Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) is now receiving violent criticism from politics and society for the second time.
A few weeks ago, he had caused irritation when it came to the Corona app: Despite concerns regarding data protection and technical usability, Spahn wanted to rely on GPS data and the controversial "tracking" that would have given the state extensive data on the contacts of its citizens.
Now a bill from the Ministry of Health is causing excitement. Reactions have spoken of an "invitation to discrimination" and even a "vaccination through the back door". Even the government parties are critical. Spahn is already rowing back. But serious questions remain.
Coronavirus: Breakthrough in antibody tests - hope or horror scenario
What happened? The stumbling block is a reform of the Infection Protection Act * , apparently already approved by the cabinet , about which the Süddeutsche Zeitung first reported. This includes a kind of " immunity card " - initially, according to Spahn, purely "precautionary".
This means: If there is soon to be certain knowledge about immunity after a corona infection *, a certificate could be issued - similar to a vaccination card. Another development made this scenario more likely on Monday. Spahn, Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) and the pharmaceutical company Roche announced progress in antibody tests in Penzberg in Upper Bavaria, as Merkur.de * reported.
Corona virus: Draft law raises questions - "Vaccination through the back door"?
Knowing about immunity is "incredibly calming and security-generating information," said Roche President Christoph Franz . At the same time, the idea of an “immunity card” causes great concerns. One reason, as reported by bild.de , is a concrete passage of the bill.
"Insofar as individual measures are to be waived or exceptions are generally provided, the person concerned must provide vaccination or immunity documentation in accordance with Section 22 or a medical certificate to prove that they cannot or can no longer transmit the specific communicable disease," it says in §28 paragraph 1, sentence 3 of the draft .
The website concludes that this could mean that citizens ' rights of liberty could be withdrawn if they were not able to produce a vaccination or a certificate of immunity . There is also resistance to the passage in the Union faction.
Corona virus in Germany: Is the "immunity card?" SPD boss speaks of "irritating ideas"
In fact, it is a complex debate. In the past few weeks, the individual freedom of people in Germany had been curtailed to protect them from potentially fatal corona infections - but that was general and general. At the same time, the law would explicitly apply not only in relation to corona, but also in other "epidemiological situations".
SPD leader Saskia Esken warned on Monday of far-reaching decisions. She spoke of "irritating ideas, such an immunity card could decide on access and participation". The FDP was also alarmed. Secretary General Linda Teuteberg saw "more harm than good". Close-knit tests for healthcare workers were enough, she judged. "After all, it should remain the case that it is only a matter of doctor and patient who has had which illness."
The Green MP Maria Klein-Schmeink warned of an "invitation to discrimination". If the law comes in the form quoted, it could even result in a kind of exclusion of non-immune people, for example when placing jobs, she suggested in a tweet - that would have to prevent the government parties, that was their demand.
Coronavirus: Habeck and Lauterbach warn against "proof of immunity" - "then come corona parties"
Green leader Robert Habeck and the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach pointed to another aspect: An immunity card that granted further rights could lead to stupid ideas, so their tenor.
Habeck feared an “indirect incentive to become infected in order to be given more freedom than others in the shutdown ”. Lauterbach became even clearer. “If the ID card has advantages, there are corona parties . If it brings disadvantages, test avoidance follows, ”he tweeted.
Immunity is nonsense. Whether and how long immunity is unclear. A-body test is often false positive. ID for only 1-2% of people makes no sense. If the ID card has advantages, there are corona parties. If it brings disadvantages, test avoidance follows https://t.co/2HMz4HVc16
- Karl Lauterbach (@Karl_Lauterbach) May 3, 2020Corona virus and new antibody tests: Spahn appeased, Ethics Council should issue an opinion
Spahn appeased on Monday. In Penzberg , he had decided not to provide any relief for people with an “immunity card” for the time being . First, the Ethics Council was asked to comment. Nonetheless: According to Bild , the law should be passed by the Bundestag on May 14th .
Meanwhile, Spahn also admitted another point of criticism: A wrong test and the resulting proof of immunity could lead people to mistaken carelessness - recently, warnings had been given again and again about a new shutdown. Esken also referred to another problem: "With Covid-19 it is still unclear whether there is permanent immunity and a vaccine is not in sight *", she slowed down high expectations of new freedoms through proof of immunity.
Meanwhile, new information on the so-called "Heinsberg study" caused a sensation - they suggest an extremely high corona dark figure in Germany.
By the way: Spahn said on Monday not only about "immunity cards", but also about vaccine research. However, with his rather skeptical forecast, he put a damper on the hopes of many people.
fn (with material from dpa)
* Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editors network.
List of rubric lists: © dpa / Peter Kneffel
