Germany's corona vaccination obligation: Scholz's promise suddenly wobbles - even Söder is "insecure"

Created: 01/07/2022, 05:27 AM

From: Bedrettin Bölükbasi

Markus Söder apparently attacked Olaf Scholz (archive picture).

© Peter Kneffel / dpa / dpa-Bildfunk

The planned corona vaccination requirement in Germany is now suddenly wavering.

Apparently, the majority of a coalition party opposes the project.

Munich - With the new and, according to experts, more contagious omicron mutant, the corona pandemic is again taking a critical turn.

A look at the rapidly increasing number of cases and the incidence shows that the situation is tense.

According to initial studies, the disease is milder than Delta, for example, after infection with the new variant, but the threat remains great for those who have not been vaccinated.

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also confirmed this.

A heated debate about the general compulsory vaccination in Germany has been going on for months.

Even before the start of his term in office, Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) made it clear several times that he wanted to get the regulation off the ground quickly.

But now the project could stumble.

Corona vaccination requirement in Germany: No signs of a regulation - all dates postponed

At the end of November, the then-designated Chancellor Scholz assured that the first applications for a general vaccination requirement would be submitted to the Bundestag by the end of the year. "I expect it will start this year," he added. However, there is no trace of a law or even a draft or application for mandatory vaccination.

Now even important dates are being postponed. This includes expert hearings and further committee meetings, but also Bundestag debates. Unlike initially planned, the Bundestag will not discuss the various proposals for mandatory vaccination in the coming week, as the AFP news agency reported on Thursday, citing parliamentary circles. Instead, an "orientation debate" to exchange arguments is to take place in the week of January 24th - without any concrete bills being debated.

According to parliamentary sources, the first reading of the draft laws on mandatory vaccination will only take place in the following week of the session.

According to the current planning status, this is scheduled for the week of February 14th.

According to information from parliamentary groups, the postponement has become necessary because the preparation of the various bills is taking longer than planned.

In addition, the highly controversial issue should be debated extensively and unhurriedly in parliament in order to achieve a broad consensus.

It is therefore not to be expected that the mandatory vaccination will be implemented too quickly.

According to the current status, an introduction before the end of March is considered unrealistic.

Corona vaccination obligation: Large majority of a coalition party of the traffic light against - work on counter-motion is ongoing

Scholz's plans for mandatory vaccination could fail because of the federal government's own traffic light, because there is currently a lot of resistance in a coalition party. A majority of the FDP opposes the compulsory vaccination, as the

reported, citing a source from the party. The anti-vaccination front of the Liberals under FDP Vice Wolfgang Kubicki is currently working on a counter-motion itself.

They see compulsory vaccination as unenforceable, as all parties are against compulsory vaccination. The opponents also see the constant punishment of those who refuse to be vaccinated with fines as not feasible in practice. In addition, according to the opponents of the project, a general compulsory vaccination without a national vaccination register would make no sense. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) previously described a possible vaccination register as a “data and bureaucracy monster”.

The FDP politician Christine Aschenberg-Dugnus, who also belongs to the camp of those who oppose vaccination under Kubicki, also took a position with Markus Lanz.

She couldn't answer “yes or no” as to whether she was for a vaccination register.

Because it is a matter of whether you want to read by name, whether someone is vaccinated, or whether you want to "store data, for example for science, for research".

She showed the cancer registry with anonymous data as a possible model.

She also explained her stance against the compulsory vaccination.

“We haven't exhausted all options yet,” she said to Markus Lanz, referring to the increased willingness to vaccinate.

She wants to achieve this, but “in a different way”.

However, she didn’t close the door all the way because of a compulsory vaccination.

For people over the age of 60, she could "imagine it very well".

Omicron wave: does the mutant make vaccination compulsory unnecessary?

- Immunization could be reevaluated

A central component of the compulsory vaccination debate is the effect of vaccines against the new variant.

According to a study by the UK Health Security Agency, the effect of the booster vaccination against Omikron already wears off after 10 weeks.

In contrast to the Delta variant, two vaccinations, for example against Omikron, protect much less against infection.

However: Protection against severe gradients also seems to be given here.

And from the third vaccination on anyway.

In addition, the omicron wave could result in a new assessment of the immunization situation and thus compulsory vaccination.

Danish experts previously emphasized that Omikron can induce a high level of immunity - thanks to the infection without serious symptoms and with a mild course of the disease.

The Austrian epidemiologist Gerald Gartlehner agreed with a specific demand.

After the omicron wave, he assumes an immunity “as we have never had it before”.

Accordingly, he asked the ORF to reconsider the mandatory vaccination plan in Austria for February.

Compulsory vaccination: CSU boss demands clarity and a proposal from the government - Scholz in the sights of CDU experts

Shortly before the Prime Minister's Conference on Friday

and in the midst of the discussions about mandatory vaccinations, CSU boss Markus Söder targeted the traffic light government.

"I admit, I am also a little insecure," said Söder at

and called for legal clarity.

"The government must make a proposal - when, for whom, which groups and how such a vaccination requirement should be implemented," emphasized the CSU boss.

It is wrong to say that this should be done via group applications from individual members of parliament.

"We expect a proposal from the traffic light," added Söder, adding that compulsory vaccination could be "an important contribution" - both medically and socially, but only if there was a clear suggestion.

The CDU health expert Tino Sorge was also critical of the current situation.

He shot at the Chancellor: "Scholz is in silence," said CDU politician to

, "and that with a question that worries the whole country." It will be interesting to see what news about this at the Corona summit on Friday brings.