Berlin The traffic light parties want to decide in the coming weeks about compulsory vaccination in certain professions. This was announced by SPD General Secretary Lars Klingbeil on Tuesday. The measure is a difficult question to weigh up. Among other things, there is concern that nursing homes and intensive care units, which are already suffering from staff shortages, could be weakened further.
The compulsory vaccination for certain professional groups was also an issue on Tuesday in the coalition negotiations between the SPD, Greens and FDP for a possible traffic light government. There is resistance above all from the liberals.
On the part of the SPD and the Greens, demands for such a regulation increased on Tuesday. Baden-Württemberg’s Prime Minister Winfried Kretschmann (Greens) said he was “a clear supporter of mandatory vaccination” for employees in old people’s and nursing homes.
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In a second step, there should also be compulsory vaccinations for teachers and the police. SPD-Vizin Anke Rehlinger spoke of a “moral and professional ethical duty” to get vaccinated in such professions.
The party’s economic wing is demanding a quick decision. “Time is of the essence,” said the Vice President of the SPD Economic Forum, Matthias Machnig, the Handelsblatt. “What is necessary, as almost all experts advise, is a consistent set of measures consisting of 2G, 3G at the workplace and a vaccination offer for those who deal with vulnerable groups in hospitals and care facilities.”
In the meantime, there is even a majority in the population in favor of a general compulsory vaccination. According to a survey by RTL and N-TV, 53 percent of Germans are in favor of this measure. In the new federal states, however, a majority of people reject compulsory vaccination.
Several associations also called on the traffic light parties to make a quick decision on Tuesday. “It’s already five minutes past twelve,” said the President of the City Council, Leipzig’s Lord Mayor Burkhard Jung (SPD). “We want schools and daycare centers to remain open.” The cities are concerned that there are still too many unvaccinated people who endanger children, the sick and the elderly, but also themselves.
The chairman of the German Hospital Association (DKG), Gerald Gaß, argues similarly. “Vaccination will be compulsory in medical professions, I’m sure,” he told the Handelsblatt. “Many colleagues in the clinics and nursing homes have no understanding whatsoever for those who come to work unvaccinated.” The public discussion of the traffic light about the pros and cons is “counterproductive”, as it tends to encourage opponents of vaccination in their attitude.
The first signs of a collapse in the health system
According to the association’s calculations, the number of corona patients treated in intensive care units will increase from the current 3200 to 4000 in the next ten days. In some regions such as Bavaria and Thuringia there are already the first signs of a collapse of the health system.
A confidential situation report by the Corona crisis team of the Federal Ministry of the Interior and the Federal Ministry of Health on Tuesday, which was available to the Handelsblatt, shows that the situation could worsen again dramatically in the coming weeks. The report shows the state of Thuringia as the most severely affected state. There, the utilization of the intensive care beds with corona patients could more than triple by the beginning of December.
The forecast is based on the assumption that the regional pandemic will remain the same. According to this – as of November 9, 2021 – about every fifth bed in Thuringia is occupied by Covid 19 patients, 19 percent according to data from the medical association Divi. According to the forecast up to December 7th, the intensive care beds will be occupied by 70 percent.
For Bavaria, the forecast, which was made by the Federal Institute for Population Research (BiB) in cooperation with scientists from the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), predicts that the Covid intensive care beds will be utilized by 56 percent by the beginning of December. This is followed by Saxony (41 percent), Baden-Württemberg (32 percent) and Brandenburg (30 percent).
The BiB assumes a further upward trend in all federal states – with the exception of Bremen. The report also warns of the effects: “Even a Covid-19-related occupancy rate of more than 25 percent (…) can move into critical areas, since intensive care beds are also required for the treatment of other diseases.”
In Germany’s neighbor Austria, the situation is even more tense. The state clinics in the state of Salzburg announced on Tuesday that a triage team would be put together because the treatment of all patients according to the applicable standards could soon no longer be guaranteed. According to the spokesman for the clinics, the team will in future advise who can still be treated in intensive care and who cannot.
With more than 1,500 new infections per 100,000 inhabitants, Salzburg currently has the highest seven-day incidence among the Austrian federal states. Upper Austria follows closely behind with a value of more than 1400. Austria’s intensive care physicians therefore called for a short lockdown for the general population in these two regions on Tuesday. The situation is “very, very tense,” said Walter Hasibeder, President of the Austrian professional association Ögari.
Federal states react with stricter rules
Under the pressure of the rising corona numbers, more and more federal states in Germany are reacting with stricter rules – even before the planned corona summit on Thursday. In Baden-Württemberg only vaccinated and convalescent people (2G) have access to museums, restaurants and many events from this Wednesday.
In Hamburg, unvaccinated people are no longer allowed to go to bars, restaurants and clubs from Saturday. Thuringia has decided to make 2G mandatory for large parts of public life. In Bavaria, Munich decided to cancel the Christmas market. And in North Rhine-Westphalia, the 2G obligation is to come across the board for adults in the leisure sector.
North Rhine-Westphalia’s Prime Minister Hendrik Wüst (CDU) also spoke out in favor of a 2G rule throughout Germany before the federal-state meeting. If the risk of infection is particularly high, there should even be a 2G rule with tests, said Wüst, who chairs the conference of prime ministers. At the meeting on Thursday, he wanted to advocate a coordinated approach by the federal and state governments. “Vaccinate, test and be careful – this is the attitude we will go into in the talks in Berlin,” said Wüst.
Meanwhile, the traffic light groups are apparently planning further corona measures – such as a 3G rule for domestic flights. In future, only those who have been vaccinated, recovered or tested will get on the plane.
More: Expensive Tests and Restrictions: These rules apply to unvaccinated people in other countries