As of: 01/21/2022 3:53 p.m
A group of members of the Bundestag is campaigning for a general obligation to vaccinate from the age of 18 among their colleagues in parliament. A specific draft law is to be drawn up across parliamentary groups in the coming week.
In the coming week, the Bundestag wants to discuss a possible compulsory vaccination against Corona for the first time as part of a so-called orientation debate. After a group of MPs led by Bundestag Vice President Wolfgang Kubicki from the FDP submitted a negative application, the advocates of compulsory vaccination are now forming.
The seven MPs from the SPD, Greens and FDP advocate general vaccination from the age of 18. Such a compulsory vaccination could help to be prepared for the coming autumn and winter season and protect the health system from overload. It is about a sustainable, proportionate and at the same time targeted solution, it says in the letter that dem ARD Capital Studio present. The corona vaccination is safe, effective and the best way to overcome the pandemic.
Concrete draft law is to follow next week
A concrete draft law is to be drawn up across parliamentary groups after the orientation debate in the coming week. Members of the SPD, Greens and FDP signed, including SPD parliamentary group leader Dirk Wiese, Green health politician Janosch Dahmen and FDP politician Marie-Agnes Strack-Zimmermann.
Chancellor Scholz and Minister of Health Lauterbach have also spoken out in favor of compulsory vaccination, but at the same time emphasized that there will be no draft law from the federal government on this. Rather, the MPs should decide on this topic without group guidelines.
Almost every second person in Germany is boosted
According to the Robert Koch Institute, almost half of the population in Germany has now received a booster vaccination. 41.2 million people or 49.6 percent of the population are protected with such a booster.
At least 75.3 percent of the population (62.7 million people) have had at least one first dose of vaccine. The goal of the federal government is 80 percent of those who have been vaccinated for the first time by the end of January. According to the RKI, at least 73.2 percent of the population (60.9 million) have received full basic protection.
24.7 percent of the population (20.5 million) are not yet vaccinated. However, there is still no vaccine available for 4.8 percent (4.0 million) – children under the age of five.
Almost half of all people in Germany are already boosted.
Image: picture alliance/dpa
Actual vaccination rate up to 5 percent higher
The RKI points out that the vaccination quotas are to be understood as minimum vaccination quotas, since the reporting system cannot achieve 100% coverage. The Robert Koch Institute assumes that the actual vaccination rate is up to five percentage points higher.
With information from Hans-Joachim Vieweger, ARD capital studio