Lucha expects more corona deaths in homes

Created: 01/17/2022, 18:04

A sign points to an old people's home.

© Sebastian Gollnow/dpa/symbol picture

The corona virus is dangerous to fatal for residents of nursing homes.

In some houses only a few people are vaccinated.

This is also due to individual vaccine skeptics, says Minister Lucha.

Stuttgart – After corona outbreaks with at least 14 deaths in two nursing homes in Baden, Minister of Health Manne Lucha expects more such cases in the country.

As long as there is no general obligation to vaccinate, individual outbreaks cannot be completely prevented, said the Green politician on Monday in a special session of the state parliament's social committee.

Despite the milder courses of the omicron variant, there will also be further deaths in homes - especially among unvaccinated and unboosted residents.

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Lucha reported 275 outbreaks in retirement and nursing homes since early October 2021 in the country with 270 deaths.

He called for vaccination again in the committee, but also made it clear that the authorities' hands were tied.

"If residents, carers and employees decide against a booster vaccination, the situation today is unfortunately to be accepted," said the minister.

That is a bitter realization.

A corona outbreak in a Rastatt nursing home recently killed 13 people.

None of them had a booster shot.

Some were never vaccinated, others once or twice.

In Gaggenau, a resident died of or in connection with Corona.

Lucha reported clear differences in the vaccination rates in the facilities. At the outbreak in Rastatt, only about 55 percent of the residents were boosted and only 25 percent of the employees. In Gaggenau, on the other hand, 76 percent of residents and 61 percent of employees were boosted at the time of the outbreak. The numbers are examples of the heterogeneity of the vaccination rates in the facilities, said Lucha. These also depended on internal dynamics in the institutions. "If there are a few strong vaccine skeptics, they can stir up the workforce and cast doubts."

Sébastien Oser from the Rastatt district office also reported major differences within the Rastatt home. According to him, the booster rate was 80 percent or more in three out of five living areas, but was well below 50 percent in two other living areas. Oser spoke of a “dynamic” that one or the other was infected by.

The carriers were approached several times with vaccination offers, but the decision rests with those affected, according to the Green Minister. "If, despite repeated contact, facilities do not contact the mobile vaccination teams, the home supervision, the health authorities, the panel doctors, the attending physicians, it must be assumed that there is obviously no further need for support." Vaccination is still voluntary and is therefore also in the inpatient long-term care in the personal responsibility of the residents or in the joint responsibility of relatives or legal advisors. There is no lack of offers or actively seeking help.

The SPD in the state parliament sees it differently. The outbreaks in nursing homes are not just an issue for those unwilling to be vaccinated, said MP Dorothea Kliche-Behnke. There are big differences in the booster rate between Baden-Württemberg and other countries, which is why the outbreaks have to be dealt with politically. "It must not stop with pure appeals," she said in the direction of Lucha. "Pure information is not enough here."

According to an evaluation by the State Health Office, at the end of the year every third resident in the south-west did not have a so-called booster vaccination, as was announced a few days ago - the rate of those vaccinated for the third time was only 68 percent. In Rhineland-Palatinate, the booster rate in the homes was 85 percent, according to the SWR. According to the LGA, the rate of employees who received boosters was significantly lower than that of residents: only 37 percent of employees have received a booster vaccination to date.

Kliche-Behnke reported on a citizen from her constituency who had to push for four weeks until his father received his booster vaccination in a nursing home.

"We can't afford four weeks like that," she criticized.

He regrets such isolated cases, but they are not representative of the country's vaccination campaign, Lucha replied.

The AfD jumped to the green minister.

"You can't do much more," said MP Carola Wolle.

One cannot accuse the ministry of much.

dpa