Enlarge image
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach
Photo: Bernd von Jutrczenka / dpa
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach exchanged views with scientists and politicians in the USA last week and learned some lessons for dealing with the pandemic in Germany.
"We have many exactly opposite problems," Lauterbach told SPIEGEL.
In the US, a major vaccination campaign is planned for the fall and awaiting a clear commitment to funding from Congress that there will be no continued wages for the isolated.
»With us it is exactly the opposite: we have already ordered the vaccines, we have a good social network and we can afford a discussion about it - for example through the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians - whether we can do what is scientifically proven - the fourth vaccination, protective measures, Isolation – will also use.
The discussion about luxury that we are having in Germany does not exist in the USA.«
There are currently about twice as many corona patients in German clinics as at the same time last year.
At the same time, more and more staff are absent due to infections and the resulting isolation and quarantine requirements.
The head of the panel doctor, Andreas Gassen, recently suggested suspending the obligation to isolate infected people.
The health policy spokesman for the FDP Andrew Ullmann agreed with him.
»In the USA, people are preparing for a heavy autumn wave«
Lauterbach is somewhat surprised by the debate.
"Behind the discussion about the abolition of mandatory isolation, the waiver of protective measures or a fourth vaccination is the thesis that an infection is better than a vaccination," explains Lauterbach.
After all, vaccinated people have mucosal immunity after an illness.
»That would translate into: Now is the time for contamination.
As Mr. Gassen says, a peace offer has to be grabbed, so to speak.
But even now, hundreds of deaths are accepted every day.
I am not considering this anti-scientific position.« The scientists with whom Lauterbach exchanged views in the USA also considered this position to be absurd.
Lauterbach said he was happy to have had personal contact with corona experts such as Anthony Fauci or US Secretary of Health Xavier Beccera.
"The US is preparing for a heavy fall wave," he said.
The fourth vaccination is already recommended there from the age of 50, and he assumes that this will apply from the age of 18 in the autumn.
At the same time, the corona drug Paxlovid is used much more consistently there than is still the case in Germany.
“Although the USA has a larger vaccination gap than Germany, the mortality rate there is not as high as might be expected.
This is also due to how often Paxlovid is used there«.
Mfh