Compulsory corona vaccination with Novavax – health ministers decide on new regulations

Created: 2022-01-23Updated: 2022-01-23 08:06

By: Tobias Utz

While a general obligation to vaccinate is being debated, plans for compulsory corona vaccination in the health sector are underway.

Frankfurt/Berlin – From mid-March, a work-related corona vaccination* will apply in Germany.

It mainly affects the staff in hospitals and clinics as well as nursing staff.

They should be “preferably” supplied with the Corona vaccine* from Novavax*, as the health ministers of the federal states decided on Saturday (01/22/2022).

Novavax is a protein-based vaccine that was incorrectly referred to as an "inactivated vaccine" in the past.* Numerous people are waiting for the first delivery of the Novavax vaccine to Germany.

According to Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach*, this will take place in February.

Corona vaccination obligation from March 2022: who is affected

• Staff in hospitals/clinics

• nursing home staff

• Staff in medical/dental practices

• Personnel in rescue/nursing services

• staff in birth centers

On Saturday, the health ministers of the federal states also spoke out in favor of prioritizing PCR tests in view of the high number of infections for the occupational groups mentioned.

They should be reserved primarily for vulnerable groups and employees who look after and treat them, it said afterwards.

The topic is also to be debated at the upcoming Corona summit on Monday.

The Novavax Corona Vaccine.

© Bihlmayerfotografie/Imago Images

Corona vaccination obligation: Private nurses not included

Meanwhile, criticism is growing that private caregivers are not covered by the planned compulsory corona vaccination. Tino Sorge, spokesman for health policy for the CDU *, called on the federal government to take care of the problem. Privately organized nurses should not be overlooked when it comes to compulsory corona vaccinations - especially since they often live in close domestic community with the people being cared for.

Ates Gürpinar, care policy spokesman for the left*, expressed himself in a similar way.

Private nurses should also be given equal treatment in terms of occupational safety and should be entitled to corona bonuses, emphasized Gürpinar.

According to a spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health, people in Berlin are aware of the problem.

Whether and how the obligation to vaccinate could be extended to private nursing and caregivers is being discussed in the specialist committees, it said.

This is reported, among other things, by the NDR.

(do with dpa/AFP)