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In view of the millions of unvaccinated people in Germany, the German Hospital Society is calling for ethical guard rails to be drawn up for corona vaccination.
Berlin – “It is the government’s political responsibility to have guard rails drawn in here by the Ethics Council,” said the head of the hospital company, Gerald Gass, in Berlin on Monday. The federal government should give the ethics council a corresponding mandate. The opinion of the Ethics Council on the measles vaccination requirement could be a good basis. In 2019, the Ethics Council spoke out against the planned introduction of a measles vaccination requirement for children in daycare centers and schools, but in favor of compulsory vaccination for professional groups with special responsibility. Since March 2020, proof of immunization against measles has been mandatory for children when they are admitted to daycare centers and schools. This duty also applies to teachers and educators.
With regard to the corona vaccination, Gaß demanded “clarity as to where the path is going”. This would strengthen the acceptance of a political decision for or against compulsory vaccination. “In the current situation, both employers and employees are left alone with this question,” he criticized. Currently, 68.2 percent of the population are vaccinated with at least one dose. 64.7 percent of the total population are fully vaccinated.
A spokesman for the Federal Ministry of Health emphasized that there would be no compulsory vaccination. Vaccination is very useful, especially for certain professional groups. For weeks, many hospitals have been reporting constant exposure to numerous serious Covid cases, with almost only those who have not been vaccinated being affected. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) had confirmed in its latest weekly report: “By far the largest part of the COVID-19 cases reported since the 5th calendar week had not been vaccinated.” According to the data of the past four weeks, vaccination protects 18 to 59 year olds 93 percent from having to go to hospital with Covid and 96 percent from having to be treated in an intensive care unit, according to the RKI. (dpa)