Many people who have been vaccinated know someone who does not want to be vaccinated.
Our editor has had numerous debates with her friend.
Now top physicians are taking a stand.
Munich - The dispute over vaccination divides families and friends.
Our - vaccinated - our editor Susanne Sasse has had many tough debates with her good friend Sabina Sciubba, who is very skeptical about the corona vaccination.
There is only one thing that can help against vaccination myths and legitimate worries: inform.
This gave rise to the idea: ask all the questions that move you - and we ask renowned experts to answer them.
Here is the result.
Corona vaccination necessary?
"Every vaccinated person slows down the chain of infection"
Sabina Sciubba asks: I test myself every time before I go out among people, wear a mask, keep my distance.
Is not that enough?
Professor Clemens Wendtner:
No. Masks and rapid antigen tests are not enough to prevent the spread, because nobody can live like a hermit without contact with others. I strongly advise vaccination. On the one hand, because of the individual protection: The risk of dying from a Covid infection without vaccination in Germany is 1 in 50 - so two percent of those infected die. The risk of severe side effects, on the other hand, is 1 in 100,000 to 1 in 500,000. I also see vaccination as a moral duty to protect other people. There are several hundred thousand people who have only a weak immune response to the vaccination: people who swallow rheumatism drugs that have been transplanted or are elderly with a weaker immune system. Of the more than 22,000 intensive care beds in Germany, 20,000 are now occupied.Covid patients also lie there four times as long as after other diseases. The dimensions of the Covid pandemic exceed everything that we have seen in modern times.
Prof. Klaus Stöhr:
It depends on. If you want to avoid the infection forever, I have to disappoint you. That won't work; at most, the infection can be postponed. Is your husband vaccinated? (Yes he is). For children, depending on their age, natural immunization is currently the variant with the lower risk. So if the fear of the vaccine is greater than the fear of infection: The likelihood of becoming seriously ill or dying is low at a young age. So, from a purely personal perspective, you would probably not get a huge benefit from the vaccination. But the family does. And also the general public, especially the vulnerables you hit or infect. Anyone who gets vaccinated slows down the chain of infection and helps protect others.Since the infection cannot be prevented anyway: better vaccinate.
Corona vaccinations and the connection with the human genome
Does the vaccine reach my genetic makeup?
Wouldn't a dead vaccine be better than one made using genetic engineering?
Prof. Johannes Huebner:
No - the RNA vaccine is broken down in a few hours.
Actually, all vaccines currently available are "dead vaccines" because none of them contain any virus particles capable of replicating.
Typical dead vaccines are the Chinese Sinovac and Sinopharm vaccines, which consist of killed corona viruses, similar to the influenza vaccination.
These Covid vaccines are approved by the WHO, but not by the European drug approval authority (EMA) or the US equivalent, the FDA, and have an effectiveness of 51 percent - clearly a poorer choice.
Prof. Stephan Becker:
We live in a world in which we think we can eliminate risks.
But you can only minimize risks.
With Covid-19 the following applies: Those who are not immune will get sick in the medium term.
An mRNA vaccine does not penetrate the genetic information.
MRNA is very common in the body's cells; it is used to produce proteins and is then quickly broken down.
The great fear that something might penetrate the genetic information stems from the fact that many people think of the HI viruses that cause AIDS.
These have special enzymes with which they attach themselves to the genetic information.
Neither the coronavirus nor the RNA vaccine can do that.
Corona vaccination and the dangers for children - side effects as with adults
Can I safely vaccinate my children?
Prof. Johannes Huebner:
Once the approval has been granted by the relevant pharmaceutical authorities, children can be vaccinated without hesitation.
Millions of children have now been vaccinated, particularly in the United States and Israel.
The side effects are basically the same as in adults and go away after two to three days.
A specialty in children are isolated cases of myocardial inflammation, but this rare side effect also heals in all cases without consequences.
In addition, every infection leads to a certain delay in development - vaccinations generally do not lead to any developmental delay.
In addition, an infection can have serious long-term consequences - post-Covid also applies to younger people.
What is the difference between the children's vaccine and the adult vaccine?
Prof. Johannes Hübner:
The vaccination for 12 to 15 year-olds is identical to the adult vaccination; the vaccination for children between the ages of five and eleven, which has not yet been approved in Europe, contains only a third of the amount of the vaccine.
Side effects after corona vaccination: "It is a luxury debate"
Can consequences of vaccinations such as fever, headache and the like be dangerous?
Dr. Hedwig Roggendorf:
No, these mild vaccine reactions often occur after vaccinations and go away after two to three days. First of all, vaccinations are the greatest blessing medicine has ever brought. Vaccinations against polio, smallpox, measles and so on prevented millions of deaths. The discussion about side effects is a luxury discussion that we only have because we no longer experience any serious infectious diseases here. In my childhood in Miesbach I saw many epidemics of measles. Then the schools were closed and classmates had to go to the special school after a meningitis. It is unspeakable that there are so many vaccine skeptics and that is why measles, for example, is still an issue in Europe, but has been virtually eliminated in Ghana and South America.Parents there carry their children 40 kilometers for a vaccination because they have seen how bad the disease is.
Are late effects conceivable?
Dr. Hedwig Roggendorf:
Long-term effects that only occur after several months or years have hardly occurred with any of the currently approved vaccinations. The bottom line is that the vaccines against Covid-19 do not have more side effects than other vaccines. You have to know that 50 million doses of vaccines are inoculated in Germany every year. The number of serious long-term damage found, but no deaths, is around 34. Most vaccination complications of Covid-19 vaccines, such as sinus vein thrombosis according to Astrazeneca or myocarditis according to Biontech, show up after a few weeks at the latest. Common drugs, such as pain relievers, have far more side effects. In addition, prevention is always better than therapy. Even Samuel Hahnemann, the founder of homeopathy, was a proponent of the smallpox vaccination.Although this vaccination actually had severe side effects and long-term damage at the time. Today's vaccines are tested, highly purified, safe and virtually free of serious long-term damage.
Liability for long-term consequences after corona vaccination: the state is responsible for the citizens
Who is liable if long-term consequences occur?
Dr. Hedwig Roggendorf:
If vaccination is publicly recommended, then the state is liable for long-term damage caused by the cause.
Don't the vaccination breakthroughs question the whole vaccination concept?
Prof. Johannes Hübner:
No - it is very clear that the vaccination protects against illness, but above all against severe disease, intensive care units and death.
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Our editor Susanne Sasse (left) and Sabina Sciubba (both 46) have been friends since their youth.
One is vaccinated and the other is not - mostly out of fear of the vaccine.
© FKN
Does the vaccine affect fertility and hormonal balance in men and women?
Prof. Stephan Becker:
There are studies on these topics: On the one hand, studies on couples who attempted artificial insemination.
Here, vaccinated couples and unvaccinated couples were compared - the success rate was the same.
So there is no evidence that the vaccination will reduce fertility.
Prof. Johannes Huebner:
There is no evidence that the vaccine affects fertility or the hormonal balance - and this subject, which is mentioned again and again - has been examined very carefully.
There is also no evidence that the vaccination worsens menopausal symptoms.
Corona: How does Covid-19 differ from other diseases
What is the difference between Covid-19 and other colds?
Dr. Martin Stürmer:
I got sick myself after a skiing holiday in Tyrol. It probably started with our son, who suffered from severe diarrhea. After the journey home I was infected too, I had severe back pain in the kidney area that had spread towards the middle of my body, and with it a feeling of breathing problems. The symptoms were frightening and not comparable to those of a cold - I had also lost my sense of taste and smell and it's not quite back to this day.
Prof. Johannes Huebner:
Much is similar to other respiratory diseases - cough, fever, involvement of the lungs.
But the severity of the disease, the often particularly infectious nature, the often protracted course and the strong inflammatory reaction involving other organ systems make Covid-19 one of the most serious infectious diseases.
What would the epidemic be like if there weren't any vaccines?
Prof. Klaus Stöhr:
We know that from the past: All pandemics only end when the population is completely infected. There were about four of these on average per century. All always ended and only became endemic when everyone was infected. This time it is the first time that a vaccine can protect some of the people from infection in a timely manner. This is so special - but many do not appreciate it. There has never been anything like it in human history. In previous pandemics, measures such as contact restrictions, hygiene and quarantine were used to slow down the speed of the infection. There was no other option - all you could do was try to slow the rampant infection so that the hospitals and funeral homes could keep up.
