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A doctor at work in a vaccination bus on the market square in Berlin-Spandau
Photo: Jörg Carstensen / dpa
The President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lothar Wieler, has called for a vaccination again in view of the dramatic Corona situation. "We have to make sure that we get as many people as possible to vaccinate and boost those who have a complete basic immunization," said Wieler on Sunday on ZDF. In the debate about compulsory vaccination, he expressed himself cautiously, but referred to considerations to think about it "as a last resort."
Compulsory vaccination is "a means, and I am completely with the WHO that we all do not want," said Wieler.
The WHO is the World Health Organization.
“It really isn't anyone who would like to be vaccinated.
There are many, many studies on this, many scientists do not find a good solution.
But if you've tried everything else, the WHO says: Then you have to think about compulsory vaccination. "
When he said that some people could no longer be reached by appeals, Wieler referred to experiences from other countries: For example, if you introduce 2G regulations, "there is still a relevant part that can still be vaccinated".
In view of the rapidly increasing corona numbers, Wieler called for the momentum to be slowed down throughout Germany.
“In any case, it is important that everyone restricts all contacts as much as possible.
In all federal states. "
Lauterbach does not rule out compulsory vaccinations
Several politicians have also spoken out in the debate.
SPD health expert Lauterbach said on »Bild TV«: »I would definitely not rule that out anymore and tend to say: This does not help us acutely, but we have to get closer to mandatory vaccination.« He argued: »Without mandatory vaccination we can achieve obviously not the vaccination quota we need to make ends meet with the strength of the vaccines we have and the R value of the delta variant. «The R value indicates how many people are infected on average infectious - and with it how quickly a virus spreads.
The deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Michael Theurer, however, told the TV broadcaster about a general vaccination requirement: "We consider it unconstitutional."
Opinions differ within the Union.
The deputy chairman of the Union parliamentary group in the Bundestag, Thorsten Frei, expressed himself skeptically.
A general compulsory vaccination should "because of the serious interference with the right to physical integrity under the current framework conditions also be disproportionate and therefore unconstitutional," he told the "Welt".
Hans against a debate about compulsory vaccination
The Saarland Prime Minister Tobias Hans does not consider a discussion about a general vaccination against the coronavirus to be sensible at the moment.
"The compulsory vaccination is not the debate that we need now," said the CDU politician on Sunday evening on the ARD program "Anne Will".
"Now I really ask you to concentrate all your strength on vaccinating." Now is a time "when the numbers are rising so intensely, when I can convince people to get vaccinated because they also notice that they are losing their freedom" , explained Hans.
"The incentives have never been greater than now."
They haven't done enough "to really convince them that vaccination is the right way," said Hans.
"We have whole strata of the population in precarious life situations that we couldn't get at."
Hans warned: "If we now, through political debates that are conducted too early, that are too half-baked, bring the next section of the population onto the streets, which then demonstrate against us (...), I believe, we will not live up to our claim, to solve the now pressing problems. "
Several representatives of the Union had recently been open to a general vaccination requirement.
If it doesn't go without it, he is ready to take this step, said Schleswig-Holstein's Prime Minister Daniel Günther (CDU) of the "Welt".
The Bavarian Prime Minister Markus Söder (CSU) had already advocated compulsory vaccination last Friday.
It is currently being examined how compulsory vaccination can be implemented in certain areas in a legally secure manner.
That said Labor Minister Hubertus Heil (SPD) in the ARD.
"And then a debate will go on, but in the order in which it was made." The federal states had asked the federal government to introduce compulsory vaccination in certain facilities such as hospitals and nursing homes for all those who have contact with people who are particularly at risk.
lukewarm / dpa