Restriction of rights, protection of the sick, lack of papers – arguments collide before a decision is made on compulsory vaccination. A curious warning from the health insurance companies gives rise to malicious comments.
The arguments for and against the controversial introduction of a mandatory corona vaccination clashed in the Bundestag on Monday.
In a hearing on the existing drafts, physicians and lawyers emphasized why, in their view, compulsory vaccination was necessary in order to avoid new restrictions on freedom and an overload of the healthcare system in the fall. Other experts opposed it. In April, several existing proposals are to be voted on in the Bundestag without party pressure. The leading association of statutory health insurance drew ridicule with a warning of a lack of paper, which could get in the way of compulsory vaccination.
In a statement for the expert hearing, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds pointed out possible practical problems with compulsory vaccination from the age of 18 – including a lack of paper in Europe. The cash registers are “not health or regulatory authorities”. Information letters to the insured that were planned for May 15 cannot be fulfilled. “Furthermore, there is an acute shortage of paper in Europe, and therefore there is a lack of material for the approximately 120 million letters,” according to the health insurance association.
No vaccination due to lack of paper?
There was then lively discussion online under the hashtag #lack of paper. “As a member of parliament who rejects compulsory vaccination, I could be inclined to be happy about it. Not at all as a digital politician,” wrote Green politician Tabea Rößner on Twitter. Others also made fun of the apparent lack of digitization in Germany or gave tips on paper procurement. A spokesman for the Ministry of Economics said he had no knowledge of an acute paper shortage.
The National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Funds later published a statement and quoted its chairman, Doris Pfeiffer: “In our statement, we never spoke out against the introduction of compulsory vaccination.” Pfeiffer made a corresponding statement to the members of the Health Committee. The practical difficulties to be expected were merely pointed out.
Pros and cons of compulsory vaccination from a medical point of view
Several virologists and doctors argued in the hearing for compulsory vaccination – months before a possible further corona wave in autumn. “If you start too late, time will run out,” said Christine Falk, President of the German Society for Immunology. “Three immunizations with the vaccines approved in Germany offer long-lasting protection against serious illness,” emphasized Falk.
In his own words, the virologist Klaus Stöhr does not expect that the burden of disease in autumn can be dramatically reduced through general vaccination. One must concentrate on those groups in which the vaccination gaps are greatest. He also stated that natural immunity is also “robust immunity”.
The Berlin vaccine researcher Leif Erik Sander admitted that it was still uncertain which virus variants Germany would have to deal with in the autumn. However, it can be assumed that the available vaccinations will also provide good protection for future variants. The President of the Professional Association of Pediatricians, Thomas Fischbach, pointed out that children usually do not get seriously ill with Covid themselves. But there are “millions of unvaccinated risk patients” who could also be vaccinated themselves – until then, child vaccinations were primarily for their protection.
Legal arguments for and against compulsory vaccination
The lawyer Robert Seegmüller described the justifications for a general obligation to vaccinate as “simply too narrow”. The judge at the Federal Administrative Court referred to the uncertainties in the scenario of an imminent overload of the health system and with regard to future virus variants. Restrictions on fundamental rights cannot be sufficiently justified in this way. The Münster lawyer Hinnerk Wißmann, on the other hand, pointed out that without compulsory vaccination in autumn and winter, there could be new restrictions on freedom due to corona requirements. “There is no priority of freedom from vaccination over all other restrictions on fundamental rights,” he emphasized.
The Bielefeld law professor Franz C. Mayer referred to the judgment of the Federal Constitutional Court on the so-called federal emergency brake: If the knowledge situation is uncertain, the legislature has “considerable leeway”. The alternative plan of waiting until autumn and only then making vaccination compulsory if necessary is not very suitable. According to Meyer, the draft for compulsory vaccination from the age of 18 corresponds best to the constitutional requirements.
High incidence – few vaccinations
1714.2 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week – that’s how high the current incidence was according to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Monday. There were 92,314 new corona infections and 13 deaths within one day. The values are usually lower on Mondays than during the week. Almost 9,000 doses of vaccine were administered across the country on Sunday. At least 63.1 million people (75.8 percent of the total population) have now received basic protection, which usually requires two injections. At least 48.4 million (58.2 percent) also received a booster shot. 19.5 million (23.5 percent) have not yet been vaccinated, of which 4 million are up to four years old and cannot yet be vaccinated.
Rescue parachute for clinics
In view of the continued high number of infections, the federal government wants to maintain ongoing financial support for the hospitals. The Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced in an interview with the editorial network Germany that the flat-rate fee for available treatment capacities will continue until April 18th. The supply flat rate as a surcharge for the treatment of Covid patients will initially be extended until June 30th. For example, the clinics would receive a surcharge for every patient who is treated in the hospital for more than two days with Corona.
Source: Stern
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