Do people with a migration background get vaccinated too rarely?
The government fears that the vaccines are too skeptical.
Migrant associations, on the other hand, complain about language barriers in the vaccination campaign.
Green politician Cem Özdemir started an appeal for vaccinations in Turkish with his mother
According to the Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) it is a "great challenge" to advertise the vaccination among migrants
The Turkish community in Bavaria said that communication with migrants was neglected
Munich -
This time,
Cem Özdemir (Greens)
leaves the political stage to
his mother.
“Please get vaccinated,”
says the 88-year-old woman next to her son in Turkish, the two of them are standing in front of the Robert Bosch Hospital in Stuttgart. "Do not believe those who oppose vaccination - believe science."
The video has already been viewed over 50,000 times - it is aimed specifically at the
Turkish community on Twitter
.
"Unfortunately, abstruse conspiracy myths about the vaccine are brewing in the rumor mill," Özdemir told our newspaper.
"That it could make sterile, for example, or that it is generally life-threatening." Such theories exist in German as well as in Russian or Turkish, says the politician.
"That is why it makes sense to
specifically educate people in their language
."
Spahn: Migrants are particularly skeptical about vaccinations
This is also an
issue
in the
federal government
: Apparently there are concerns that many migrants are still too skeptical about corona vaccinations. According to "Bild", Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn said at the meeting of the CDU Presidium that it was a "
great challenge
" to advertise the vaccination among migrants.
"I can only say: Good morning, Mr. Spahn," criticizes Özdemir - you should have recognized that earlier. "The problem is that people of Turkish origin are often not reached through the classic German media." Simple press releases from the Ministry of Health are not enough -
people have to be picked up in clubs, companies and mosques, says
Özdemir. It is also important to lead by example. "You could
start an awareness campaign
with
Turkish celebrities
in particular
."
Annemin size mesajı var: Lütfen aşı olun.
Aşı karşıtlarına inanmayın - bilime inanın!
Annem ikinci aşısını şubatta oldu.
Bu hafta sıra bende idi.
Lütfen aşı sırası gelenler kendilerini ve sevdiklerini korumak adına aşilarını olsunlar.
(My mother's vaccination call for people of origin) pic.twitter.com/8ubOny8OVE
- Cem Özdemir (@cem_oezdemir) April 25, 2021
So far there are no reliable figures on the willingness of migrants to vaccinate.
"However, employees in migration counseling report to me that they are already aware of clear reservations about the corona vaccination," says Bavarian integration officer
Gudrun Brendel-Fischer (CSU)
.
It is clear to her that "insufficient language skills are an obstacle".
That is why she recently developed “
an easily understandable vaccination letter
” in ten languages, which is intended to provide information and
education
- among others with the
Turkish Community of Bavaria (TGB).
Many Turks prefer to be vaccinated at home
"It is the first time that we have been asked to help," says
TGB spokesman Vural Ünlü
.
"But it comes far too late - and to be honest, it is also too little." Communication with migrants was "completely neglected" by politicians during the pandemic, says Ünlü.
“There are a lot of irrational fears about the vaccine,” he says.
“But there are also
simple, technical barriers
: How do I register?
Which priority group am I in? ”In the meantime, many would even toy with the idea of getting vaccinated in Turkey during the summer holidays, says Ünlü.
"Many say: things are not
going
particularly quickly in Germany anyway -
and we migrants are at the end of the food chain anyway
."
The German-Romanian integration association also complains about language barriers
Sevghin Mayr is chairwoman of the German-Romanian integration association Sgrim in Munich.
She also noticed that many in the Romanian community are skeptical about vaccination.
"It's not that easy to get vaccination information in Romanian," she says.
Many would prefer to look for information on social networks - "where you can quickly come across
fake news
".
The
medical technician Nedeljko Miletic sees
it differently
. "I work in an intensive care unit and notice that corona patients are getting younger and younger - some of us have 30-year-olds who are not doing well."
The Murnau man with Croatian roots
therefore tries every day to make friends and acquaintances of one Convince vaccination. Nevertheless, the willingness to vaccinate in his personal environment is very low. “But I don't think it's because of the language barrier,” he says. "
Whether Croatian or German - I think people are generally still suspicious
."