Icon: enlarge
Ethics Council Chair Alena Buyx in the SPIEGEL studio
The chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, Alena Buyx, has spoken out against compulsory corona vaccination in Germany.
However, she sees a high level of responsibility for citizens to get vaccinated.
“Is there a moral duty to get vaccinated?
Yes! «Said Buyx in a top SPIEGEL interview with Markus Feldenkirchen.
In the interview, Buyx also spoke about the prioritization of vaccination candidates, how to deal with remaining vaccine doses and a possible return of rights of freedom for those who have already been vaccinated.
Since the vaccination campaign in Germany started at the end of last year, there has been a broad debate about possible relaxation and the handling of vaccinations.
Buyx sums up her view of the discussions in one sentence: "Every dose has to be in one arm."
She believes it is justifiable that at the end of the day, other vaccine doses are injected into people who are not currently part of the first priority group.
"If you've really tried to give vaccine doses to the prioritization group and can't find anyone, then it's justifiable," said Buyx.
However, a good mechanism is needed to inoculate leftover cans in a meaningful way.
In the past week, several cases had become known in which local politicians had pushed their way and received vaccination doses.
It was not always clear whether no other candidates could be found.
Buyx has been the chairwoman of the German Ethics Council since last May.
The 43-year-old deals with medical and research ethics and holds a professorship for ethics in health technology at the Technical University of Munich.
The Ethics Council is convened in equal parts by the Bundestag and the Federal Government and deals with current issues.
The council currently has 24 members, including doctors, philosophers and lawyers.
All work on a voluntary basis and are not allowed to hold any political office.
"Many equate us with the Federal Constitutional Court"
The Council only makes recommendations.
Since Corona, the frequency of inquiries from politics has been particularly high, said Buyx.
Giving balanced answers to the Corona policy as quickly as possible is a particular challenge, "because we are not an ad-hoc committee."
She observes that the role of the Ethics Council is sometimes exaggerated: "Many equate us with the Federal Constitutional Court."
"Every vaccination dose has to be in one arm."
Alena Buyx, Chair of the Ethics Council
A recent recommendation by the Ethics Council not to grant people who have already been vaccinated again freedom rights in advance was heavily criticized.
In the SPIEGEL interview, Buyx defended the recommendation again.
First of all, it is important to clarify whether there is no longer any risk of infection from vaccinated persons - as long as it is reasonable for the persons concerned to wear a mask and keep their distance.
"These are not very extensive measures."
Then, especially with restaurant openings and relaxation in the cultural sector, the question is whether staff are available at all.
"Closed systems are almost only found in nursing homes," says Buyx.
In restaurants, on the other hand, people work who are late in the vaccination sequence.
Buyx sees potential tensions in the sense of justice among those who are vaccinated late as the greatest danger in the dispute over individual restrictions on freedom.
They would be opposed to the "ability to indulge" others.
No prioritization for teachers
In the debate about prioritization, Buyx wants to stick to the existing categories.
The federal government wants to look into vaccinating teachers and educators much earlier in order to open schools and kindergartens faster.
They are currently classified in the third category.
Buyx also considers school openings to be "essential", but finds it wrong to prioritize vaccination for teachers.
The data so far did not show that the risk of infection is particularly high among educators and teachers - therefore the debate about vaccination is misleading.
Buyx recommends that politicians should undertake a "horizontal prioritization" within vaccination group 3 in order to then vaccinate teachers and educators there first.
Buyx had clear criticism for Bayern boss Karl-Heinz Rummenigge.
He recently demanded special rights for soccer players: "We don't want to push our way at all, but soccer players could make a contribution to society as role models."
She considers the apparent preference in professional sport to be difficult.
"When you see that there are prominent contagions in football, that's a sign that the concept isn't working that well after all."
Alena Buyx
It is true that prominent role models are important for a good vaccination campaign, "but at present they can only come from the prioritization groups."
Young and fit professional footballers, however, should not be brought forward now.
"When it's the athletes' turn, I would like them to be vaccinated quickly and visibly, in order to do justice to a role model."
Buyx said she observed that apart from the vaccination debate, there had long been privileges in football that others were denied.
Players would be flown to other countries to play games while cinemas, theaters or museums remain closed.
Football officials referred to the hygiene concepts that had been developed.
Many other providers, for example in the cultural sector, also have clear hygiene concepts, says Buyx - and are not allowed to open them.
"When you see that there are prominent contagions in football, that's a sign that the concept isn't working that well after all."
Icon: The mirror
mrc
