Freedom Day in many places in Europe: Lauterbach still sees a "special German position"

Created: 02/25/2022, 09:03

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) at a press conference in Berlin.

© Jens Schicke/imago

Denmark and Great Britain lift almost all corona measures.

Minister of Health Lauterbach does not allow any comparison with Germany.

Berlin – One after another, more and more countries in Europe are announcing the end of almost all corona restrictions.

Will Germany soon have a Freedom Day too?

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) continues to speak out against major easing in Germany in view of the Corona * situation.

"We have to work with our own rules, and they always have to take Germany's special position into account," said the SPD politician on Wednesday evening in a discussion with the weekly newspaper

.

This exists in the still large group of unvaccinated older people over 60 years of age with a high risk of severe corona courses.

It is "very relevant for news that we get to know what is possible in these countries," said Lauterbach when asked about Denmark or Great Britain.

However, Germany cannot compare itself with these countries with their much lower proportion of unvaccinated people in the risk group.

“Agree to severe penalties”

Health Minister Karl Lauterbach

The SPD politician again campaigned for a general obligation to vaccinate from the age of 18, which must also be initiated early.

It's too late to wait and see if a new wave comes.

That would be like saying, "I'll wait and see if we get an autumn this year." Lauterbach said he would also "agree with drastic penalties" for violations.

Omicron in Germany: 200 to 300 deaths a day

The minister again promoted a course of cautious openings.

At the moment, the omicron wave is about fighting a relatively harmless variant*, which nevertheless causes between 200 and 300 deaths per day on certain days.

It saddens him that parts of society seem to have gotten used to it.

Germany is well advised to be more careful because collectively it has not been able to vaccinate more people who are particularly at risk.

A point that intensive care physician Uwe Janssens also clearly addresses *.

With a view to the development of the pandemic, Lauterbach explained that if a virus is completely new, two years is “quasi baby time”.

Even if there are already several virus variants, they are not descended from their parents like children.

"We are still in the second generation." The previous variants are siblings, all of which have a strain in the archetype.

Therefore, one is now still early in the history of its origin.

More in the news ticker on the current corona pandemic in Germany.