Traffic light with the compulsory vaccination in need?

CDU taunts Scholz on the open summit stage - doctors are losing patience

Created: 01/08/2022, 06:33 AM

From: Florian Naumann

The heads of the traffic light government, Robert Habeck, Olaf Scholz and Christian Lindner (from left), in the Federal Chancellery.

© Reiner Zensen / imago images

The future of mandatory vaccination remains vague, even after the Corona summit.

The CDU increases the pressure on Olaf Scholz.

He practices calmness - unlike pediatricians in the country.

Berlin - The compulsory vaccination threatens to become an open flank for the Ampel government: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) had promised a quick decision in December - but now the issue seems to have been put on the back burner. The Union is therefore increasingly targeting the SPD, Greens and FDP.

Even at the press conference after the Corona summit on Friday, the topic emerged as a point of contention: North Rhine-Westphalia's Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) called for a tight schedule on the podium alongside Scholz - the topic seems to be an opportunity for the Union to raise its profile . The Chancellor let the demands roll off: he had "made sure that we are now discussing a general vaccination requirement in Germany and that there is now a consensus," said the Chancellor. And defended the plan of letting the Bundestag decide without being forced into a parliamentary group - that was "an appropriate course of action for such a far-reaching decision".

A remarkable finding: Berlin's governing mayor Franziska Giffey (SPD) announced a “commitment of all 16 federal states to a vaccination requirement” - the “consensus” mentioned by Scholz.

It also demanded “the time for the necessary democratic processes”.

The outcome of the debate still seems to be open.

And the pressure is growing: Doctors and paediatricians spoke up on Friday with a demand for an "immediate" general vaccination requirement.

Meanwhile, the statutory health insurance physicians doubted whether the obligation would even come before the "corona risk" was over.

Corona vaccination compulsory: CDU puts Scholz under pressure - "otherwise we'll be stupid around again"

The background to the dispute: The prospect of a quick introduction of an extended corona vaccination requirement seems to be diminishing. The SPD parliamentary group may not expect the legislative process to be completed until the end of March. It was reported from parliamentary circles that the deliberations in the Bundestag on the introduction of an extended corona vaccination requirement are being delayed. According to this, there should be an "orientation debate" at the end of January, and specific draft laws should not be discussed until mid-February. This could also be due to the split position of the FDP on the subject - pressure from the Chancellor could become a stress test for the coalition.

Wüst did not want to accept objections even before the summit. In the opinion of the CDU politician, preparing for a general vaccination requirement is part of a forward-looking pandemic policy. “I think that needs to be prepared. If you don't need it in the end, so be it. But if you need it and you haven't prepared it, we'll be around stupidly again, ”said Wüst on Friday shortly before the Corona summit to the TV broadcaster

. The federal government must face the issue of mandatory vaccination.

Union faction leader Ralph Brinkhaus (CDU) criticized the Chancellor in the ARD “Morgenmagazin” - and implicitly accused Scholz of ducking: “He cannot delegate this to parliament and can say: 'Now they should get together,'” he said.

However, this is not uncommon for delicate decisions.

In the case of “marriage for everyone” or the topic of organ donation, Angela Merkel also acted in a similar way.

Omikron and the compulsory vaccination: Pediatricians lose patience with traffic lights - others see the plans as outdated

Meanwhile, opinion among experts and associations is further divided. The German paediatricians are calling for the rapid introduction of compulsory corona vaccination for all adults. He wanted "a general compulsory vaccination, and immediately," said the president of the professional association of paediatricians, Thomas Fischbach, of the

on Friday. Politicians have shied away from the uncomfortable topic for far too long and now want to put the compulsory vaccination on the back burner, criticized Fischbach. "That would be fatal, because the longer children and adolescents have to suffer from the restrictions." 

Doctors in private practice also see compulsory vaccinations as a “sign of social responsibility”.

The federal chairman of the association, Dirk Heinrich, said that the medical staff, for whom a mandatory vaccination had already been decided, deserved this mark.

That is why the Bundestag must pass the general compulsory vaccination as soon as possible, Heinrich demanded.

The lifting of the parliamentary group obligation is not expedient. 

"By the time we have worked out all of this, the corona risk is probably really over."

Statutory health insurance chief Andreas Gassen on the federal government's vaccination plans

The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, however, underlined his negative attitude: “Vaccination is the most effective tool in the fight against the virus. Nevertheless, I still don't think much of compulsory vaccinations, ”said Gassen of the

. There are already too many organizational obstacles to be able to start this project in a short time. Until legal and logistical questions have been clarified, "the corona risk is probably really over."

Another problem is the declining effectiveness of the vaccine: "You can not seriously impose a compulsory vaccination on people and then find that the effect of the vaccine only lasts a few months," Gassen told the newspaper.

Due to the mandatory vaccination, "ultimately no relevant increase in the vaccination rate compared to an intensive vaccination campaign, flanked by measures such as 2G" is achieved.

Corona vaccination: Green minister appeals to adults

Federal Family Minister Anne Spiegel (Greens), meanwhile, warned adults to be vaccinated for the benefit of the children. "I especially appeal to parents, educators and teachers: Show solidarity," said Spiegel of the

. "With the vaccination and the booster, you not only protect yourself, but above all also the children and adolescents entrusted to you." Now that the omicron variant of the coronavirus is spreading quickly, the younger ones need "our special protection," added Spiegel added. "We mustn't feel safe by pointing out the trend towards milder developments."

A bad example in terms of compulsory vaccination was provided by Austria shortly before the weekend, where problems are looming again with the implementation of the regulation.

The information system responsible for health data Elga and its partners needed for the technical implementation of the mandatory vaccination via the national vaccination register at least until April 1, 2022, according to a statement on the law on mandatory vaccination announced on Friday.

Elgas said that they had not been consulted when the draft assessment was drawn up.

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