S.The only thing that is more reliable about the general compulsory vaccination is that it will take some time. If and when does it come? Not clear. The start at the end of February Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) brought into play, should now be out of reach. One of the reasons for dragging them along is numerous open detailed questions – for example, how a mandatory vaccination should be checked.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) recently rejected a vaccination register recommended by the German Ethics Council. The position is by no means consensus. Lauterbach’s party friend, Bundestag President Bärbel Bas, had in Interview with WELT AM SONNTAG pronounced for a central directory, as well as numerous Union politicians.
Even the liberals in Baden-Württemberg warn of a compulsory vaccination disgrace without a register. “If that fails again, the population’s distrust of politics will only increase,” said the FDP parliamentary group leader in the Stuttgart state parliament, Hans-Ulrich Rülke. “Without the courage for a national vaccination register, you don’t even have to think about compulsory vaccination.” The FDP in the federal government is against it, however.
That’s how the Austrians do it
Example could Austria where the general compulsory vaccination should come into effect at the beginning of February – there is already a central vaccination register there. It is linked to an electronic vaccination card in which doctors note the evidence directly. According to the draft law, there will be “vaccination deadlines” every quarter in the future. All persons covered by the obligation must provide evidence of the vaccination on these.
For the control, the population register is compared with the vaccination register. Because the register has existed since autumn 2020, most of the corona vaccinations did not have to be added. It would be different in Germany. “Above all, the registration of all people who have already been vaccinated would mean an enormous bureaucratic effort,” said Deputy Green Group leader Maria Klein-Schmeink to WELT.
Gabriel Felbermayr, Director of the Austrian Institute for Economic Research (Wifo), sees the fact that there is no structure in Germany like in Austria as a central weakness. “Such a register would be the prerequisite for the introduction of compulsory vaccination against corona, which Germany probably cannot avoid,” says Felbermayr. Franz Knieps, chairman of the BKK umbrella association, representing the interests of the company health insurance funds, sees it similarly: “How else should you check the evidence of immunization and set priorities for vaccination campaigns?”
Data protection concerns are often raised against a vaccination register. According to a spokesman for the Federal Commissioner for Data Protection, a vaccination register would be “fundamentally possible under data protection law”. Justice Minister Marco Buschmann (FDP) is also optimistic that this question can be solved. However, it takes time to set up a nationwide register that is supposed to record every citizen. “But we don’t have that time to fight the pandemic,” said Buschmann.
The First Parliamentary Managing Director of the Union parliamentary group, Thorsten Frei (CDU), contradicts this. “If you choose an uncomplicated solution, it could certainly go very quickly. But even when it comes to the question of whether there should be a vaccination register at all, opinions within the traffic light government diverge widely. That shows great perplexity. ”Nevertheless, he warns of a“ bureaucratic monster ”. The coalition groups would have to present a well-founded proposal on mandatory vaccination, which also dealt with the pros and cons of a vaccination register.
For left-wing health politician Kathrin Vogler, the pace is definitely a sticking point. She refers to the organ donation register approved by the Bundestag two years ago. “To this day, this register does not exist. We can’t wait two years for mandatory vaccination to be controllable. ”She advocates random checks. By whom the traffic light government should propose. “The fact that the Ampel government has so far always referred to the preparation of group motions within Parliament borders on a refusal to work.”
Warning of huge bureaucratic effort
But what could controls look like? Comparisons with the job-related corona and measles vaccination obligation are lagging – both are controlled by the employer or by daycare centers and schools. The smallpox vaccination, which was compulsory until the mid-1970s, could provide a hint.
Their success, according to René Gottschalk, who was in office for many years until the summer, was due, among other things, to strict controls. “At that time this mainly affected children, and since there was no internet, it was compared with the registry offices and citizens’ offices. In this respect, there was actually something like a national vaccination register, although the individual states and municipalities were responsible for implementation. “
The deputy FDP parliamentary group leader Konstantin Kuhle says: “Anyone who demands a general vaccination requirement or one that is restricted to certain age groups must clarify certain organizational questions. This also includes data collection with a view to the necessary vaccinations. ”The municipal registration offices already have the necessary data. “You could send every citizen a specific date suggestion.”
However, the German District Association does not find this practicable. The registration offices should not “have to send 83 million letters”. “This, combined with 83 million returns and administrative procedures, would in practice result in a completely superfluous and excessive bureaucratic effort,” said a spokesman. Instead, they advocate random checks by the regulatory authorities.
in the Podcast “Kick-off Politics” we will give you the most important background information on a top political topic of the day in a conversation with WELT experts from Monday to Friday. From 6 a.m., in just 10 minutes.