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Lauterbach rules out a new attempt to introduce compulsory corona vaccination

2022-06-17T09:22:36.510Z


Germany has to prepare for a third Corona fall. Health Minister Lauterbach is refraining from mandatory vaccinations – but has announced other restrictions from October.


Enlarge image

Encouraged to wear masks voluntarily: Federal Health Minister Karl Laubterbach (SPD)

Photo: Clemens Bilan / EPA

Germany slipped into a new corona wave in summer, and the prospects are no better for autumn.

In order to at least prevent new mass infections towards the end of the year, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wants to impose restrictions again from October.

"It's unfortunate that autumn can't go the way it did before the pandemic," said Lauterbach.

However, the Minister of Health ruled out one measure directly: "We will not start a new attempt to introduce compulsory vaccination."

Specifically, Lauterbach announced a new vaccination campaign, probably from September, to convince people of a booster vaccination.

There will be vaccines adapted to current variants.

The SPD politician recommends the refresher not only like the Standing Vaccination Commission for risk patients or people over 70 years of age, "but for everyone who wants to protect themselves".

In addition, Lauterbach wants to increase the use of drugs such as Paxlovid in the treatment of the sick and continue the citizen tests in autumn.

New hygiene concepts are intended to specifically protect vulnerable groups and people in nursing homes, and protection concepts are also to be developed for schools and kindergartens.

However, closures must be "avoided by all means," says Lauterbach.

In addition, the Minister of Health wants to revise the Infection Protection Act in dialogue with the Ministry of Justice – Lauterbach and Minister of Justice Marco Buschmann (FDP) recently had opposing views on this issue.

The current Infection Protection Act expires on September 30th and only offers the federal states a small set of tools in the fight against Corona.

Politicians in the Greens and SPD are already insisting on a new version, while the FDP wants to wait for an evaluation of the previous measures, which is expected for June 30th.

There are currently no access restrictions to restaurants and shops, and the obligation to wear masks has largely been lifted.

Lauterbach also spoke out against the earlier introduction of corona restrictions.

At the moment it is enough that everyone can protect themselves.

However, Lauterbach actively promoted wearing the mask indoors voluntarily.

"At the moment, the data does not indicate that this can be made mandatory," says Lauterbach.

But wearing it voluntarily must become “normal”.

Germany is slipping into a "summer wave", every day there are between 50 and 130 deaths.

"That's no small thing, but still a significant excess of mortality."

According to the Vice President of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lars Schaade, the new omicron virus variant BA.5 is responsible for the sharp increase in Germany.

The variant is now dominant.

There is no evidence that BA.5 leads to more severe disease progression, but it is significantly more contagious, says the RKI vice.

The nationwide seven-day incidence drops to 427.8 from 480.0 the previous day.

However, the incidence does not provide a complete picture of the infection situation because the authorities assume that there are many unrecorded cases.

In the previous week, the incidence was 318.7.

You have to take the summer wave seriously, "but don't panic," says Lauterbach.

The BA.5 variant is more armless and better than the previous Delta type and a large number of people in Germany have been vaccinated or have recovered.

According to Lauterbach, those who have recovered, who were infected with the variant BA.2, which was widespread in winter, should now be well protected against the successor type.

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Source: spiegel

All news articles on 2022-06-17

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