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The epidemic situation is coming to an end and the corona spook should be over in March. So it seems, because then all protective measures should fall. On the grounds that the situation is different from last year, politicians are making things too easy for themselves.
Did Jens Spahn want to end his office with one last big bang? You will probably never know, but he succeeded. For a week now, the Minister of Health has been making headlines with the decision to let the epidemic situation run out. Some applaud, others protest – and some people wonder what this decision should mean. It’s already not “Freedom Day”. According to the traffic light parties, this is planned for March 20. Only then can the masks fall like clothes on a nudist beach.
The country must of course prepare for this. Politicians want to take the first step in this direction on November 25th. Then the political decision-making power over public life should be reduced. “The situation is completely different today,” say politicians when they justify the end of the epidemic situation. And you are right, the current situation is different – but it has not improved, at least in terms of incidences. It is clearly too early for the epidemic and protective measures to end.
Contradictory decision
As a reminder, the epidemic of national importance came into force on March 28, 2020. At that time, the day before, almost 6300 people were infected with the corona virus. Politicians promptly changed the Infection Protection Act. If an epidemic-law emergency occurred that endangered the general population and the health system, among other things, the Minister of Health could impose lockdowns without parliament. When Jens Spahn announced the end of the emergency, it was. A little more than a week later, it has risen to 118 – a trend reversal not yet in sight.
For that reason alone, the fact that politicians are provoking hopes that the pandemic will end soon is irresponsible. We will have to live with the virus, that was already clear in spring 2020. But for that we have to get the pandemic under control, at best with vaccination. The incidences show that we are currently unsuccessful. Looking at the corona numbers, we were even better off last year than now. On October 27, 2020 the. Nobody was vaccinated at the time. But most of them obediently adhered to the mask and quarantine requirements. Now reports are piling up about.
More speed when boosting, please!
Sure, breakthroughs in vaccination become more frequent the higher the vaccination rate. And the vaccination protection is indisputable – even if vaccinated people are still contagious, even if they do not fall ill. Another point of concern is completely different: Vaccination protection is declining, as several suggest. The first vaccines were administered at the end of December 2020. At that time, priority was given to vulnerable groups, including people over 80 and medical staff. In the months that followed, mobile vaccination teams and general practitioners worked their way through various age groups until all adults received a vaccination offer on June 7th.
But what happens to those who were vaccinated more than half a year ago? Your risk of infecting yourself and others and of getting sick increases again. So far, there is no clear answer to how they should behave. After all, there is the booster vaccination. But here, too, the same procedure is emerging as at the beginning of the vaccination campaign. There is no need for justification that vulnerable groups should be immunized first. What it takes is speed. If we are working again at this snail’s pace, so that an offer for a booster vaccination can only be made to the general population after seven months, then it is not surprising when the incidences shoot through the roof again in winter.
In addition, there is the high incidence among children for whom there is no vaccination recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko). Most recently, the state of Lower Saxony abolished the mask requirement in the classroom. Experts criticize that – and rightly so. If the lessons don’t turn into a super-spreader event and politicians want to forego lockdowns and school closings in the near future, the mask requirement must be restored. Employees would also have to adhere to it out of fairness. Because vaccination or not: It does not protect 100 percent against transmission of the virus. For unvaccinated people or those who were immunized a while ago, this can be fatal. Seen in this way, we are all in a mess. Also vaccinated.
The virus is in control
As long as the further vaccinations – regardless of whether it is the first, second or third prick – are still bobbing around, the incidences are rising and the smallest in society are unprotected, the decision of the politicians is disproportionate. Protective measures are essential. Especially when the epidemic comes to an end. Some might see this as the all-clear. According to the motto: Seriousness is over. Surely we all long for the end. But at what price?
As a critic of the current pandemic course, one could still hope that Lauterbach – also a critic of Spahn’s decision – will become Minister of Health under the new government and reverse the decision of his predecessor. But you can no longer rely on that, because the traffic light parties also want to let the epidemic situation come to an end and usher in a transition phase. Whether you have to reverse this decision and tighten the measures again in winter depends solely on the virus. Relying on it is not the solution either.
In the end, Spahn could be remembered as the health minister who ushered in the end of the pandemic. Or as the one who pushed the country into the next wave. One way or another a bang.
David William is a talented author who has made a name for himself in the world of writing. He is a professional author who writes on a wide range of topics, from general interest to opinion news. David is currently working as a writer at 24 hours worlds where he brings his unique perspective and in-depth research to his articles, making them both informative and engaging.
