Corona: criticism of Lauterbach for vaccination for younger people – "I never said that"

Created: 08/12/2022, 16:12

By: Jasmine Farah

The Federal Minister of Health is now recommending a second booster vaccination and warns of a new corona wave in autumn.

But there is confusion.

Corona is not taking a "summer break" this year like in the past two years.

Instead, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) warns that the omicron subtype BA.5, which is currently rampant, is said to be even more aggressive.

Accordingly, infected people often complain of significant symptoms, such as high fever.

For this reason, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (59, SPD) has been warning for a long time that there is a risk of another corona wave in autumn.

For this he has received severe criticism, the CDU even accuses him of scaremongering.

After all, the corona numbers are currently declining again.

Corona: Harsh criticism of Lauterbach for the 4th vaccination for younger people

That is “a reason to be happy”, but “nevertheless no reason to give the all-clear,” explains Lauterbach, especially since the number of unreported infections is increasing.

In mid-July, he therefore

advocated a second booster vaccination in a

However, the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) only recommends this for people over 70 years of age and risk groups.

That caused an uproar.

The second corona booster vaccination is recommended above all for older and immunocompromised people.

© George Christophorou/Imago

But now the Federal Minister of Health is rowing back.

In the

he explains: "I never said that all younger people should now be vaccinated.

That's just wrong."

According to him, these should not wait for the adapted Omicron vaccines, which are expected from autumn.

Accordingly, he once again emphasized to

that waiting is “simply wrong for those who are now at risk”.

However, healthy, younger people could be patient and then be treated with the new vaccines, he explains.

"Anyone who has the basic immunization need not worry," explains virologist Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit.

Stiko's recommendation was correct.

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Corona: Does the obligation to wear a mask bring new problems in autumn?

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach also recently presented the new Infection Protection Act, the measures of which have also met with criticism from the opposition.

Among other things, these stipulate that the mask requirement indoors for tested, newly vaccinated and recently recovered people could return.

"Fresh" in this context means that a corona infection or vaccination must not have been more than three months ago.

However, according to experts, it is difficult to prove or check this, which is why Ulrich Weigeldt, Federal Chairman of the German General Practitioners Association, among others, classifies it as not suitable for everyday use.

Virologist Hendrik Streeck also warns that Germany could turn into a “patchwork” in view of the new measures, depending on the federal state.

Therefore, clear guidelines are needed for the countries, he demands.

So the coming weeks should be exciting – in every respect.

This article only contains general information on the respective health topic and is therefore not intended for self-diagnosis, treatment or medication.

In no way does it replace a visit to the doctor.

Unfortunately, our editors are not allowed to answer individual questions about clinical pictures.