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Carer in an intensive care unit in Rostock: Marburger Bund demands mandatory vaccination
Photo: Danny Gohlke / dpa
In order to break the fourth wave of the corona pandemic in Germany, some experts and doctors are calling for free tests for everyone and compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups.
The medical association Marburger Bund advocates a compulsory vaccination against Covid-19 for nurses, doctors as well as for teachers and daycare staff.
The virologist Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit warned against overestimating the effect of 2G rules, i.e. the admission of only vaccinated and recovered people to events. 2G give a "sham security," he said on Deutschlandfunk. Vaccinated people could also become infected and transmit the virus, even if the probability is lower. If you really want security, only 1G can help - i.e. to test all of them, regardless of whether they have been vaccinated, unvaccinated or recovered. This should especially apply to areas where particularly vulnerable people are at risk. He promoted a "test offensive" and criticized the fact that the free tests were abolished in mid-October.
Eugen Brysch, Chairman of the German Patient Protection Foundation, said: "Abolishing the free tests was one of the stupidest decisions." It is not bad to make such a mistake, it is only bad if it is not corrected.
In his opinion, daily tests are also the method of choice to prevent care facility and outpatient care workers from infecting patients.
"Daily tests for everyone, including those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered," emphasized Brysch.
Pressure on nurses unwilling to vaccinate is growing
"The obligation to vaccinate against the coronavirus should apply to people who work in medical facilities, old people's and nursing homes as well as schools and day-care centers," says a resolution that the Marburger Bund passed at a general meeting. As the Federal Association of Doctors' Association announced, the vote was preceded by an intense debate among the delegates. Proponents of the resolution argued that the rapidly increasing number of infections, especially among children, as well as increasing vaccination breakthroughs in older people, while at the same time the vaccination rates of employees in these areas were still in some cases too low, indicated an urgent need for action.
The doctors stated in their decision that people who work in shelters for the homeless, facilities for asylum seekers and refugees, in medical practices or in outpatient care services should be vaccinated.
The Marburger Bund is a professional association of employed and civil servant doctors in Germany.
The President of the German District Assembly, Reinhard Sager, affirmed that it is necessary for nursing staff to be vaccinated because appeals and arguments have so far not been able to achieve a sufficient vaccination rate.
"We do not expect a wave of layoffs among the nursing staff," if this obligation were to be introduced, he told the German Press Agency.
It should be part of the professional ethics of every caregiver to protect the people entrusted to them from danger.
The Bonn virologist Hendrik Streeck is also skeptical of the 2G rule in gastronomy and at events. "The vaccinated have the feeling that they are no longer part of the pandemic and behave accordingly risky," said Streeck to the editorial network Germany (RND). "The second problem is the unvaccinated, who are excluded and even less likely to be tested." That could lead to uncontrolled outbreaks. »If unvaccinated people are not allowed to take part in social life, they organize celebrations at home, for example. There, the infection process can no longer be controlled at all «.
Austria decided on Friday in the fight against the fourth corona wave to introduce a nationwide 2G rule.
People without a vaccination or proof of recovery will no longer be allowed to visit bars, hairdressers and events from Monday.
The same applies to access to tourist businesses.
In Germany, as of Monday, Saxony will be the first federal state to implement the 2G rule in parts of public life across the board and in a mandatory manner.
»Sad daily record«
In Bavaria, the 3G-plus rule applies from this Sunday in inns and at events in closed rooms, i.e. vaccinated, recovered or PCR-tested. A rapid antigen test is no longer enough. Exceptions apply to universities, extracurricular educational offers, libraries and archives. A rapid test is still sufficient for those who have not been vaccinated. 2G applies in discos and clubs - even with a test, unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to enter. The mask standard is generally increased to FFP2.
The nationwide seven-day incidence rose again significantly.
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) gave the number of new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week on Saturday morning as 183.7.
The previous day the value was 169.95.
Saxony and Thuringia are currently particularly hard hit.
Saxony had a seven-day incidence of 415.8 and Thuringia of 406 on Saturday.
The situation is worsening in German intensive care units.
»Sad daily record of the Covid-19 autumn wave: For the first time more than 100 reported deaths in intensive care units with 179 first admissions.
Makes you think ”, wrote Christian Karagiannidis, scientific director of the intensive care register of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive Care and Emergency Medicine (Divi), on Twitter on Saturday.
The recent significant increase in the seven-day incidence "as perhaps the most important leading indicator" continues to go hand in hand with the new admissions to the intensive care unit.
According to Divi information from Saturday, 2449 corona patients are in intensive care treatment.
feb / dpa
