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Gian Ehrenzeller / dpa
Pediatricians are calling for a corona vaccination for daycare workers and teachers.
"We need a 2G rule for employees at day care centers and schools," said the spokesman for the professional association of paediatricians (BDKJ), Jakob Maske, of the "Rheinische Post".
The mere testing of the staff for the corona virus is not enough.
There must be rules comparable to those that are now being discussed for nursing staff in hospitals and homes, says Maske.
“We don't have a vaccination for anyone under the age of twelve.
So to protect them we have to vaccinate everyone who comes into contact with them whenever possible. "
Meanwhile, the Federal Schoolchildren's Conference criticized teachers who refuse to receive a corona vaccination.
Teachers have "a responsibility to their environment and especially to the students they meet in class," said the conference's general secretary, Katharina Swinka, to the newspapers of the Funke media group.
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The Vice-President of the Conference of Education Ministers and Education Minister of Schleswig-Holstein, Karin Prien (CDU), had already expressed sympathy over the weekend for compulsory vaccination for teachers and beyond.
"I think it is right that this taboo topic has finally been broken by now wanting to regulate a partial compulsory vaccination in the medical and nursing field," said Prien.
“I think we now need a discussion about compulsory vaccination for the general population.
We have tabooed that for far too long. "
Survey: majority for compulsory vaccination
In any case, she is not prepared to discuss school closings again "until we have also vaccinated all adults who can be vaccinated". The idea has a majority in the population: In a recent survey, 52 percent of Germans are in favor of a general compulsory vaccination against the coronavirus.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach, on the other hand, initially reacted cautiously to the demands that teaching staff be vaccinated.
In old people's homes, the compulsory vaccination required by the state ministers for nursing staff is correct, because it protects people who are particularly at risk.
In schools and daycare centers, however, the compulsory vaccination for staff is "not absolutely necessary because the children and adolescents are not as badly affected by a Covid 19 infection," said Lauterbach in the "Rheinische Post".
In another interview, Lauterbach did not want to take a categorical position against compulsory vaccination: "I would definitely no longer rule that out and tend to say: This does not help us acutely, but we have to get closer to compulsory vaccination."
Critical situation throughout the winter
At the moment, however, it makes more sense to require a mask in schools.
In a podcast interview, the SPD politician told the editorial network Germany that the mask requirement for schoolchildren is likely to be necessary throughout the winter.
Lauterbach harshly criticized the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) for lifting the mask requirement in schools.
This decision was "irresponsible".
“A lot of children were infected there.
That was completely unnecessary. "
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The SPD politician and doctor warned of the long-term effects of Covid diseases in children: It is to be expected that around four to seven percent of infected children with Covid 19 symptoms will develop what is known as Long Covid.
Fortunately, Long Covid is not as serious in children as it is in adults, but it is also not a minor matter.
It leads to the fact that children "can consistently have difficulties concentrating," said Lauterbach.
There will be children who, after suffering from Covid, are "no longer as energetic and no longer as good at school" as they were before.
him / AFP
