Tuesday, October 26, 2021
There is no concept for autumn
Doctors are calling for more speed with third-party vaccinations
The corona numbers are rising rapidly again – not so the number of booster vaccinations. But they are urgently needed in the eyes of doctors and politicians. Family doctors in particular are now responsible. Because in the opinion of the Virchowbund boss, they made a mistake.
Medical associations and patient advocates are calling for significantly more speed with the corona booster vaccinations for the very elderly and those with previous illnesses. “Booster vaccinations for the vulnerable groups are urgently needed, especially in view of the increasing numbers,” said Dirk Heinrich, federal chairman of the Virchow Association of Resident Doctors, of the “Neue Osnabrücker Zeitung”. “Unfortunately, this is not uniformly regulated nationwide, so there are delays in some places.”
The general practitioners’ association is particularly responsible. “Very early on, he called for the vaccination centers to be closed because they were supposedly not needed. That was a mistake,” Heinrich told the newspaper. “Therefore, the association must now ensure nationwide booster vaccinations, also in nursing homes, by the general practitioners and send mobile vaccination teams there.” The Virchowbund boss appealed to all resident doctors to also give the third dose of vaccination to those high-risk patients who received their first vaccinations in vaccination centers. “Nobody should fall through the cracks here,” said Heinrich.
The President of the German Interdisciplinary Association for Intensive and Emergency Medicine (Divi), Gernot Marx, told the newspapers of the Funke media group that he said that “booster vaccinations play a very important role in fighting the pandemic”. This applies to both patients and hospital staff.
Patient advocates criticize “slow progress”
Eugen Brysch, director of the German Patient Protection Foundation, also complained about the “slow progress” of the booster vaccinations. “The statutory health insurance associations are responsible for the fact that after a good three months just twelve percent of those over 70 years of age have received a third vaccination offer,” said Brysch to the newspaper.
Germany is now far from a nationwide uniform Corona concept, although autumn and winter are just around the corner. “For nursing home residents, those in need of care and hospital patients, the corona protective shield is even getting weaker,” said Brysch.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “In view of the increasing number of cases, including among older people, a new vaccination campaign to use booster vaccinations in this age group is now absolutely necessary.” Left leader Susanne Hennig-Wellsow also called for more speed with the refreshments in the newspapers. “Third-party vaccinations must now be initiated as quickly as possible, the current corona numbers are terrifying.” Hennig-Wellsow emphasized that “the third vaccination must be advertised in the same way as the first and second”.