Icon: enlarge
Germany has 25 million flu vaccine doses
Photo: Brian Snyder / REUTERS
"A sensible measure with low costs": In view of the corona pandemic, SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach has spoken out in favor of a free flu vaccination for all health insured persons in Germany.
Right?
Some speak for it, others against it.
That speaks in favor of the flu vaccination for everyone
In view of the corona crisis, doctors are particularly advising to be vaccinated against flu this autumn in order to avoid overburdening the health system.
Flu and Covid-19 patients depend on comparable resources.
If the sick storm into doctor's offices and hospitals at the same time, the health system threatens to collapse.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, 25,000 people died of the infectious disease in the 2017/2018 flu season alone.
If you get a flu vaccination in autumn, you not only protect yourself, but also others.
In addition, doctors fear that double illness with Covid-19 and flu could be particularly difficult.
The World Health Organization (WHO) therefore recommends a nationwide voluntary flu vaccination for everyone, not just for risk groups.
Health Minister Jens Spahn had also spoken out in favor.
"Anyone who wants to have themselves and their children vaccinated should and can do so," said the CDU politician at the end of August.
(You can see here how you can reduce the risk of infection in autumn.)
Health insurance companies generally pay for a flu vaccination if the insured belong to the risk group defined by the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko).
These include, for example:
People over 60 years
chronically ill
Pregnant women
Health care workers
If, on the other hand, the doctor sees no need for a vaccination, the insured person usually has to pay for the costs between 20 and 35 euros themselves.
If that goes away, more people could opt for a flu vaccination, Lauterbach hopes.
However, there are not enough doses for everyone.
That speaks against flu vaccinations for everyone
Germany has around 26 million vaccine doses for this flu season.
"It is easy to calculate that the supply would not be sufficient if all 83 million people in Germany wanted to be vaccinated," said Stephan Hofmeister, vice chairman of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
"We therefore advise our members to follow the recommendations of the Standing Vaccination Commission."
In view of the limited capacities, the Stiko continues to recommend vaccination, especially for risk groups.
40 million cans would be required just to comply with the current rules.
"At the moment it is more important to have high-risk patients vaccinated than the broad mass of the population and children. With that we risk that in the end there will not be enough vaccine for everyone, and that would be absolutely fatal and counterproductive," argues Stiko director Thomas Mertens.
High-risk patients in particular should definitely get vaccinated in autumn, preferably all of them.
Risky bet
So is the proposal for free flu shots even dangerous?
The answer to this question is a risky bet on the future.
In recent years, high-risk patients have been grumpy for flu vaccinations.
Recently, only one in three people over the age of 60 was vaccinated against the flu - "completely inadequate," warns the Stiko.
The proportion had even decreased continuously over the past ten years.
Even if from a medical point of view it would be best to immunize the elderly in particular: Will significantly more people from the risk groups be convinced of a vaccination this year as hoped?
Or could Germany even end up sitting on the additional vaccination doses?
In the latter case, it would make sense to offer everyone a vaccination.
However, it is still difficult to estimate what development will occur.
And it is not possible to reorder flu vaccine doses at short notice, production only runs once a year in spring.
Icon: The mirror
koe
