Erlangen Stiko expert rejects the general obligation to vaccinate - he has another idea

Created: 02/13/2022, 20:13

By: Tanja Kipke

Stiko member Professor Christian Bogdan from Erlangen firmly rejects a general obligation to vaccinate.

© Franziska Männel/dpa

The Stiko member Christian Bogdan from the University Hospital Erlangen rejects compulsory vaccination.

He explained the reasons to Merkur.de.

Erlangen - General vaccination yes or no?

Opinions in the debate are divided.

At the moment, the implementation of facility-related compulsory vaccination is causing controversy.

Bavaria's Prime Minister Markus Söder* (CSU) had announced that he would not implement the compulsory care vaccination directly, he lacked clear rules for implementation.

In addition, the Free State demanded a plan from the federal government for the promised general obligation to vaccinate.

The chairman of the Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) Thomas Mertens fears that compulsory vaccination will result in a “splitting of society”.

Professor Christian Bogdan, Director of the Institute for Clinical Microbiology, Immunology and Hygiene at the FAU Erlangen-Nuremberg* and at the University Hospital Erlangen, sees it similarly.

He has been a member of Stiko and the National Academy of Sciences Leopoldina since 2011 and firmly rejects compulsory vaccination.

He explained his reasons when asked by

. He has other ideas on how to promote vaccination among the population.

Erlangen Stiko member rejects compulsory vaccination - "vaccination rate is not that bad"

In Bogdan's view, compulsory vaccination can only be justified if everyone "would be similarly at risk from SARS-CoV-2 and would benefit to a comparable extent from the vaccination".

However, that is not the case.

The "benefit-risk ratio" of a Corona * vaccination is different for different age groups and for people with and or underlying disease.

It is also still unknown how long the protection of a full immunization lasts and whether the vaccination will also be effective in future variants of SARS-CoV-2.

"Ergo, it is currently not clear which vaccination frequency must go hand in hand with a prescribed vaccination requirement," explains the specialist.

Bogdan also mentions the vaccination rate as a reason.

“The vaccination rate in Germany is not as bad as it is often portrayed.” Among the over-60s, 88.3 percent are basic immunized and over 75 percent are already boosted.

If you look at all people over the age of 18, the rate of people who are basic immunized against corona is 84 percent.

In addition, not all unvaccinated people should be considered unprotected, since among them there are also people with one or even several past corona infections.

(By the way: Our Bayern newsletter informs you about all the important stories from Bavaria. Register here.)

Video: But now: Söder wants to implement compulsory vaccination earlier

Erlangen professor: "Vaccination is only advisable if infectious agents can be eradicated"

A general obligation to vaccinate is particularly useful if an infectious agent is not only potentially very dangerous, but can also be eradicated.

This means that the virus must be antigenetic, i.e. stable with regard to its immune-stimulating proteins, and there should be no animal reservoir for the virus.

According to Bogdan, neither of these apply to SARS-CoV-2.

"Convinced vaccination refusers will not be convinced of the usefulness of vaccination even if vaccination is compulsory," he points out.

Regarding the implementation of compulsory vaccination, he writes: "At the moment it seems very questionable that the administrative effort required for this is in relation to the benefit."

The omicron wave has also been a main argument in recent weeks.

For them, however, the obligation to vaccinate comes “too late anyway”.

The Stiko member considers a renewed vaccination campaign in early summer to be sufficient for possible waves of infection in the coming autumn and winter.

Other vaccines that are about to be approved could then also be available.  

"Without a doubt," Bogdan says, mandatory vaccination would further divide society.

"It is not helpful for social cohesion to oblige all people who do not want to be vaccinated to be vaccinated and to assume that they are anti-vaccination, lateral thinkers, corona denial or scientific ignorance a priori," emphasizes Bogdan.

Among the unvaccinated are people with “justified concerns, doubts, worries and fears”.   

Stiko member has other ideas for improving vaccination rates

On the other hand, Bogdan considers a facility-related corona vaccination obligation according to the new §20a Infection Protection Act (IfSG) to be “reasonable” because it gives vulnerable patients or residents of medical facilities additional protection over and above their own vaccination.

For him, however, the question arises as to whether the effort is worth it.

Because the vaccination rate among medical staff is generally already very high.

In addition, it is difficult, especially in the care sector, to find qualified new staff if unvaccinated people have to be dismissed in the end.

According to Bogdan, the best way to persuade someone to get vaccinated is through “a one-on-one doctor’s vaccination briefing.”

Transparency is the top priority here.

One must not only address the great benefit, but also openly the residual risks or as yet unknown aspects of a vaccination.

Bogdan also has another recommendation: "Incidentally, the willingness to vaccinate in our society can be improved above all by reducing media, political and social pressure on the unvaccinated and not pillorying them." An active one The decision to vaccinate is much more sustainable in the medium and long term than compulsory vaccination, especially since it is not just about a one-off sequence of three vaccinations, but also about the willingness to protect yourself and others through vaccination in the future.