Corona: Lauterbach meets the health ministers of the federal states - what is in focus today

Created: 01/17/2022, 00:20

By: Tim Vincent Dicke

Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) will consult with the health ministers of the federal states on Monday (17.01.2022).

© Michael Kappeler/dpa

Today (01/17/2022) a video conference between Karl Lauterbach and the health ministers of the federal states on the Corona situation will take place.

• Karl Lauterbach* and the health ministers of the federal states are discussing the Corona situation* today (01/17/2022).

• The video conference is primarily about the spreading omicron variant*.

• All developments can be found here in the news ticker.

Berlin – On Monday (January 17th, 2022) the health ministers of the federal states will once again discuss how to proceed in the corona pandemic in Germany*.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) will also take part in the video conference, which is under the impression of the spread of the omicron variant and the associated sharp increase in new infections.

The chairwoman of the conference of health ministers, Saxony-Anhalt's department head Petra Grimm-Benne (SPD*), will then provide information about the results (8 p.m.).

Corona: Karl Lauterbach calls for testing before meetings of the health ministers

The topics of rapid tests and the controversially discussed compulsory vaccination are likely to be on the agenda.

In the run-up to the meeting of health ministers, Karl Lauterbach had called on citizens in an interview to test themselves several times a week with a rapid test for the corona virus.

He said to the picture on Sunday: "Then you have a good certainty that you are really not infected if the result is negative." The repetitions of the test are necessary because the rapid tests do not always work at the beginning of an infection.

According to Karl Lauterbach, people who have already received a booster vaccination against Corona should also be even more careful after contact with an infected person and “do a quick test every day”.

Those who have tested themselves for a week are “on the safe side”.

On the days after the contact, Lauterbach advises wearing FFP2 masks consistently “as soon as you are in a room with people”.

Karl Lauterbach before the meeting of the health ministers: three corona vaccine doses are important

Before the meeting of health ministers, Karl Lauterbach also called for three corona vaccinations to be prescribed* in order to fulfill the planned vaccination requirement.

"A complete vaccination consists of three doses," said the Federal Health Minister of the BamS.

People vaccinated in this way are “protected against all corona variants – at least against serious illness and death”.

“The obligation to vaccinate must be based on this,” demanded the SPD man.

There is great agreement among experts worldwide: "It is extremely unlikely that a variant will arise against which you have no protection as a person who has been vaccinated three times," said Lauterbach.

Health Ministers Conference: Kubicki assumes a fourth corona vaccination

Before the meeting, Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki is already looking at the second corona booster vaccination.

"The figures from Israel* show us that the effect of the vaccines* decreases significantly three months after the booster vaccination," said the deputy chairman of the FDP* of the German Press Agency.

That is why they have switched to providing the vulnerable groups with a second booster.

"Since three months have passed since my first refresher at the end of February, I have already planned a corresponding appointment in consultation with my doctor as a precaution." He assumes that the conference of health ministers will have positioned itself on this corona issue by then, said Kubicki.

According to Karl Lauterbach, it will be clear by January 24 at the latest at the next conference with the prime ministers whether the corona measures that are already in place are sufficient to slow down the increase in infections: “If the number of cases then piles up too steep a wall, we have to I'll probably do it again." However, Lauterbach rejects a lockdown with business closures or school closures.

"We mustn't expect the children and young people to do that again." (tvd/AFP/dpa)