Ethics Council chairwoman against mandatory vaccination for certain occupational groups

The chairwoman of the German Ethics Council, Alena Buyx, believes that a Corona vaccination requirement for certain professional groups is not necessary at present. Vaccination rates among teachers and health care workers are significantly higher in this country than in neighboring countries such as France, she said on Tuesday's ZDF-Morning Show. In addition, she said, there are better ways to convince people to get vaccinated: good communication and low-threshold vaccinations on site. "So to speak: bring the vaccination to where the people are." That could apply to the workplace as well, he said.

In light of a decline in the number of Corona vaccinations administered, Wolfram Henn, a medical doctor who is also a member of the Ethics Council, had argued Monday for mandatory vaccinations for staff in daycare centers and schools. Buyx said Tuesday that Henn had spoken for himself, but not in contradiction to the work of the Ethics Council: "But we're not calling for anything like that." The federal government has also repeatedly ruled out mandatory vaccinations for certain professions. Other countries, such as Greece and France, introduced or announced mandatory vaccination for health care workers.

President of the German Medical Association calls for more effort

CSU leader Markus Söder also maintains his negative stance following the decision in France and Greece. "I am against compulsory vaccination," Söder told German radio on Tuesday. He added that this also applies, for example, to teachers or schoolchildren. Söder justified his rejection by saying that compulsory vaccination would be a "strong encroachment on fundamental rights." In the fight against the coronavirus, he called instead for an unrestrained vaccination campaign. "Nothing but vaccination helps," the CSU leader told German radio. The younger people between the ages of twelve and 30 would now have to be reached as a matter of priority, after the over-60s had largely been vaccinated. Low-threshold offers must be made to them locally, "so to speak, vaccination to go or drive-in vaccination.

The president of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, is also calling for a more intensive vaccination campaign. All people must be reached, he told the Rheinische Post: "I miss the TV commercial on vaccination before the daily news." Where vaccination readiness has been low so far, he said, information must be provided on the spot. "We need to get not only sports clubs, we need to get cultural clubs and faith institutions on board for the vaccination campaign."

Reinhardt went on to say that it is important to reach people who are still undecided through consistent education: "I think every adult has a responsibility to help keep the incidence of infection down through their vaccination - also to protect children." These are the big losers of the pandemic so far, he said. It would be irresponsible to isolate children and young people again.At the same time, Reinhardt spoke out against restricting the freedoms of unvaccinated people. This would be tantamount to an indirect obligation to vaccinate, which he considers wrong. Not all those willing to be vaccinated would have been able to take up an offer of immunization so far. For children under twelve, pregnant women and people with certain diseases, there is still no offer, he said. "These people must not be excluded from social life."

Image by Gerd Altmann