There is no vaccine against corona yet, but there is a vaccine against flu. Experts are now increasingly calling for flu vaccinations – especially for children.
The corona pandemic still has us fully under control. And now that autumn is just around the corner, experts look with concern at the first wave of influenza that is also guaranteed to be approaching sooner or later. In the worst case, the health system could collapse under the double burden – Doctors and politicians are therefore increasingly calling for people to be vaccinated against the flu. "At the same time a major flu wave and the pandemic can hardly cope with the health system," said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn in the "Welt am Sonntag".
Federal government makes more vaccine available
So that more people can be vaccinated, the federal government has ordered more vaccines against the flu: "Anyone who wants to have themselves and their children vaccinated should and can," said Spahn. The protection of vulnerable population groups is usually the top priority. In recent years, older people have primarily been asked to get vaccinated against the flu because they are more likely to develop severe disease. Younger people should especially consider vaccination if they are more susceptible to infection due to a weakened immune system. This can be the case, for example, if you have asthma.
Children in particular should be vaccinated
Parents in particular are now being asked to have their children vaccinated. Johannes Huebner, chairman of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases, said: "We know that children largely transmit the influenza virus." During the corona pandemic, not only is the health of the children themselves endangered, there is also a social duty to protect others more strongly from possible infection.
In addition to Jens Spahn, other politicians and health experts also appeal to the population to have the voluntary flu vaccination carried out. These include, for example, the SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach and the CSU health minister Melanie Huml. She considers vaccination to be indispensable, especially for staff in hospitals, nursing homes and schools: "That is why I appeal to the employees' sense of responsibility and ask them to be vaccinated."
The flu is still a big threat
Last year, the flu wave in Germany claimed victims again. The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) reported in April that more than 400 people had died as a result of the flu in the 2019/2020 flu season. Around 4.3 million people were also receiving treatment for an infection.