Lauterbach's Corona policy criticized: 100 million euros wasted?

Created: 07/23/2022, 14:11

By: Sandra Kathe

While the Minister of Health recently called on everyone to secure the second booster before winter, other experts are critical of the proposal.

Berlin – The progress of the corona vaccination campaign has been discussed in politics and medicine for weeks and opinions differ significantly: while the SPD Minister of Health and doctor Karl Lauterbach called on everyone in Germany to protect themselves against a new corona wave Stiko and now also the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) advise against the fourth vaccination for everyone if possible in autumn and winter.

The reason: "A lot doesn't always help a lot!"

, KBV boss Andreas Gassen described the federal government's official goal of using 50 to 60 million more vaccine doses in autumn and winter

as "unrealistic" and threw Lauterbach's Ministry of Health, which according to media reports for 2022 already has well over 100 Should have ordered millions of doses, a waste of resources.

Health Minister Lauterbach received a lot of criticism for his proposal to send under 60-year-olds to boosters again.

(Archive photo) © Kay Nietfeld/dpa

Corona vaccinations: KBV expects a need of 30 million doses by the end of 2022

According to calculations by the KBV, the actual need is much more manageable: "With a second booster for everyone over 60, a first booster for all younger people and a generous contingent for those who have not been vaccinated - without much hope that previous vaccination skeptics will now be vaccinated - let's come - calculated generously – around 30 million vaccinations.”

Lauterbach's appeal to everyone under the age of 60 to pick up a second booster is also wrong for the head of the panel doctor.

"We know from Israeli studies, among other things, that a second booster does not make sense in younger healthy people," said Gassen, emphasizing that Lauterbach was viewed with skepticism by numerous researchers and physicians: "A booster vaccination is uncritical every few months, only because so much vaccine was ordered?” asked Gassen.

"Several immunologists warn against it!

A lot doesn't always help a lot."

Second corona booster: Many vaccinated people have taken adequate precautions

For Gassen, possible pandemic developments in autumn and winter are no reason for such a recommendation, at least not as long as there are no new and significantly more dangerous variants.

"In any case, I won't get a second booster," said Gassen.

"Even in healthy older people, I would be reluctant to give the fourth vaccination, especially if they have just recovered from an omicron infection."

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Accordingly, the chief physician is also critical of the amount of vaccine doses ordered against the corona virus: If Lauterbach has ordered more than 200 million doses, as reported by the media, “it can be expected that vaccines worth possibly a hundred million euros or more will be thrown away must become".

According to a report by the Tagesschau, the Ministry of Health under Lauterbach alone “ordered around 134.3 million vaccine doses between the beginning of December 2021 and the end of June this year”.

However, the number of those who were vaccinated would have been significantly lower.

In the middle of the month it was reported that 3.9 million doses of vaccine made by the US manufacturer Moderna had expired and had to be destroyed.

(ska with AFP)