In an interview with the mirror the leader of the SPD, Rolf Mützenich, criticizes his coalition colleague Wolfgang Kubicki (FDP). Mützenich accuses the Bundestag Vice President of fueling the debate about a possible vaccination requirement with his statements. “We politicians should pay close attention to our words right now and not add fuel to the fire,” said Mützenich. “The debate is heated enough as it is. This is evident not only from the sometimes aggressive statements to speak, but also from the torch-lit marches and extremists who call for violence.” Kubicki had previously said that many advocates of mandatory vaccination are about “revenge and retribution” on unvaccinated people.
Mützenich also criticized the President of the Robert Koch Institute, Lothar Wieler for the surprising recommendation of his institute before the Prime Minister’s Conference last Tuesday. “Why Mr Wieler from the RKI suddenly rushes out with a special vote on the day of the Prime Minister’s Conference and two days after the unanimous decision of the Expert Council, to which he himself belongs, without coordinating with the Expert Council,” said Mützenich mirror.
“With such a babble of voices, we don’t have to be surprised if people are unsettled or simply switch off.” Before the last federal-state meeting, the RKI recommended immediate maximum contact restrictions. The proposal had apparently not been coordinated with the Federal Ministry of Health and had caused some irritation. (December 23, 2021)
The seven-day incidence continues to decline
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported 44,927 new corona infections within one day in the morning. That is 11,750 cases fewer than on Thursday a week ago, when 56,677 positive tests were reported. The nationwide seven-day incidence drops from 289.0 the previous day to 280.3 now. The value indicates how many people per 100,000 population have contracted the coronavirus in the past seven days. 425 other people died related to the virus. This increases the number of reported deaths to 109,749 within one day. (23.12.2021)
Minister of Education: Prepare for regional school closings
Education Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) has called for protection against the Omikron variant for new school closings. “We have to prepare ourselves for the design of alternating lessons when it becomes necessary again,” she told the newspapers of the Funke media group. The digital equipment in schools must be improved quickly and it must be ensured that the funds from the digital pact flow out more quickly. “And we also have to prepare for the fact that school closings could be necessary – not nationwide, but regionally,” she said.
The FDP politician emphasized that the first priority was to keep the schools open. That is why the federal government has just extended the air filter program, for example. As further corona protective measures, Stark-Watzinger named wearing masks in class, testing, vaccinating students quickly and boosting teachers.
The minister praised the willingness to vaccinate in schools. Of the twelve to 17 year olds, 61 percent were vaccinated at least once and 51 percent fully against Covid-19, she said. Low-threshold vaccination offers are important. In consultation with schools and parents, more mobile vaccination teams should be used in schools. The teachers set a good example, said Stark-Watzinger. Studies showed that more than 90 percent of them were vaccinated against the coronavirus. (23.12.2021)
Lauterbach expects a fourth vaccination to be necessary in the course of the coming year
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) reiterated in the WDR-2 morning magazine that, in his opinion, a fourth corona vaccination will be necessary. “This is already foreseeable, because we need a specific variant vaccination against Omikron,” he had already explained on Wednesday evening on ZDF. Lauterbach said on WDR that 80 million vaccine doses had already been ordered from Biontech. The Minister of Health also emphasized that this was his personal assessment and not a sound scientific finding.
Lauterbach emphasized once again that the booster campaign is the central strategy to protect the population from the Omikron variant. 27 million people have been boosted so far, and another 30 million are expected to receive a booster vaccination in the coming weeks. “If we could do that, we would be well prepared for the upcoming Omicron wave,” said the Minister of Health.
Lauterbach answered questions on the radio on Thursday morning. When asked about changing statements about the time after a second vaccination a booster vaccination makes sense, the SPD politician replied: “We react to new findings. We have to maintain this flexibility. If there are new findings, we have to respond also react. “
When asked how he imagines a future vaccination routine, at what intervals a vaccination against the coronavirus will be necessary, Lauterbach did not want to make a statement. Omikron will not have been the last option, said the health minister. In the future, vaccine manufacturers would try to cover both new and old variants at the same time. The vaccination routine results from this. (December 23, 2021)
Armed Forces Commissioner sees Corona official assistance “very critical”
The Defense Commissioner of the Bundestag, Eva Högl (SPD), considers the type and scope of Corona administrative assistance from thousands of Bundeswehr soldiers to be increasingly problematic. “I see it very critically that the Bundeswehr is still represented in this level of administrative assistance. That was completely good and right at the beginning,” said Högl. Districts and all the others who are actually responsible for disaster relief and civil protection at civil level could and should have used the time to set up structures so that “you don’t call the Bundeswehr again every time things get tight”. Högl said: “Now civilians are called for.”
The Armed Forces Commissioner warned of increasing deficiencies in the training of the armed forces. In addition, there have already been complaints because men and women of the Bundeswehr were deployed in offices as a kind of holiday replacement. “Last year we had cases over Christmas and also over Easter where the civilian workers from the health authorities took their well-deserved annual vacation and the soldiers held their positions, as soldiers tell me,” said Högl. “Of course that can’t be.”
According to the Bundeswehr, around 6,500 men and women will do active service in administrative assistance over the Christmas holidays. According to this, around 1,600 soldiers work in vaccination facilities and around 1,700 in hospitals and care facilities, as the Territorial Tasks Command, which is responsible for administrative assistance, announced on request. According to this, around 3,200 soldiers are deployed in health departments and authorities over Christmas, i.e. around half.
The administrative assistance in health authorities is primarily about the follow-up of corona cases. There is a lack of understanding that soldiers have to continue to be deployed for such computer and telephone services.
“We are now really struggling in the Bundeswehr to compensate for administrative assistance. The soldiers who are active in administrative assistance don’t usually stand around. said the military commissioner. It certified the soldiers that their administrative assistance was excellent. One can be very proud of that. But: “It will take a long time to get the Bundeswehr back to where it was before the pandemic. The fact that the Bundeswehr is providing administrative assistance in combating the pandemic must not be permanent.” (23.12.2021)
Union calls for a clear stance from the traffic light government on compulsory vaccination
After the majority vote of the German Ethics Council in favor of expanding the statutory vaccination requirement, the Union parliamentary group is pushing for a draft law from the traffic light coalition. “The dramatic development of the pandemic does not allow a zigzag course. It is time to put concrete legislative proposals on the table,” says the first parliamentary director of the CDU / CSU, Thorsten Frei, der Rheinische Post. In addition, it would be helpful “if there would finally be a unified signal from the traffic light coalition”.
The Ethics Council published its opinion on Wednesday, with 20 out of 24 members in favor of extending the statutory vaccination requirement “to a large part of the population”.
According to the North Rhine-Westphalian Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU), Germany will not be able to avoid compulsory vaccination. A “permanent loop” of loosening and lockdowns must be avoided, said Wüst in an interview with the ARD “Tagesthemen” https://www.sueddeutsche.de/politik/.
Wüst, who is currently also chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference, spoke of a very successful vaccination campaign. With regard to the quota of those vaccinated, however, he added: “Of course we are not fighting for 75, 80 percent. We need 90, 95 percent and preferably more.” The aim is now to convince people who have not previously felt addressed. “I do believe that with good arguments we can still reach people in these weeks.” But the problem is the last ten percent. For them there will be no getting around a compulsory vaccination, “and we need them quickly”.
According to the Department of Health’s vaccination dashboard figures released on Wednesday morning, at least 58.7 million people have so far received two or a single vaccination from Johnson & Johnson. That is 70.5 percent of the total population. At least 28.1 million people (33.8 percent) also received an injection to freshen up. (December 23, 2021)