“Not defenseless in the autumn”: Debate about corona tests does not end


“Not defenseless in the autumn”
Debate about corona tests does not end

What measures is Germany taking to counter a potential fourth corona wave? Another round of federal and state governments will deal with this and other questions on Tuesday. Above the meeting there is also the discussion point, whether unvaccinated people have to expect restrictions.

Before the Prime Minister’s Conference with Chancellor Angela Merkel this Tuesday, there are strong voices for an end to the free offer of corona rapid tests. The Prime Ministers of Lower Saxony and Baden-Württemberg, Stephan Weil and Winfried Kretschmann, both spoke out in favor of it. SPD chancellor candidate Olaf Scholz also pleaded for it again in the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.

A proposal by the Federal Ministry of Health provides for mid-October as the date for this. It is only about those people for whom there is a vaccination recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission – so according to the current status no children – and for whom there are no medical reasons against it.

“I think it is expressly right that unvaccinated people have to pay for their tests themselves from autumn onwards. Until then, everyone had the opportunity to be vaccinated free of charge,” Weil told the Tagesspiegel. Kretschmann told the “Stuttgarter Zeitung / Stuttgarter Nachrichten”: “In the long run the public sector will not be able to finance the tests. That is also a question of fair burden sharing, because there is a free vaccination offer for everyone.” On the other hand, FDP parliamentary deputy Stephan Thomae advised: “Keeping the tests free of charge for as long as possible, including up to 2022, is money well spent.” This also applies to those who have recovered and who have been vaccinated. Because although they are largely protected from illness, they can still carry the virus.

In view of the renewed increase in the number of infections, the state heads of government and Merkel want to advise on Tuesday how the forthcoming fourth wave can be kept flat. “Germany must not go into the autumn defenseless and defenseless,” said CSU General Secretary Markus Blume in the “Bild” Internet format “The Right Questions”. The question of test costs is only one of the points that Merkel and the prime ministers should be concerned with. Further questions are:

How can the vaccination campaign be boosted?

So far, around 55 percent of the population have received the vaccinations necessary for full protection – too little to prevent a new big wave. But the vaccination rate has decreased significantly. Most recently, only around half a million people were vaccinated for the first time within a week – at the peak in May it was more than a million in one day. FDP parliamentary group vice Thomae calls for a “calm awareness campaign” to dispel fears. This would be better than “reinforcing reservations with threats of direct or indirect compulsory vaccination.”

For when should there be restrictions, if necessary again?

Weil said that despite the sluggish vaccination rate, many people have now been vaccinated. “Against this background, massive restrictions, such as we had in the spring, for example, are no longer appropriate.” For Kretschmann, the following applies in principle: Restrictions on vaccinated and recovered people will be lifted to a large extent. “For non-vaccinated people, because of the higher risk of infection, access to events or facilities will” continue to be subject to conditions. “Measures such as mandatory masking on buses and trains will be implemented but “keep it safe for now”.

However, Scholz rejected the considerations of Minister Jens Spahn’s health department to generally no longer admit unvaccinated people to events in an emergency – not even with a negative rapid test. “It is important to me that those who do not want to be vaccinated continue to have the opportunity to take part in public life through tests,” he told the “Süddeutsche Zeitung”.

The question is: what kind of tests? Hamburg’s mayor Peter Tschentscher advocated equating unvaccinated people with a negative PCR test and those who have recovered. “Rapid antigen tests are not reliable enough,” said the former doctor of the “Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung”.

Should there still be restrictions at all?

The chairman of the Bundestag’s health committee, Erwin Rüddel, questions this. “The message must come that there will be no more automatic lockdowns – not even only for those who have not been vaccinated,” said the CDU politician of the “Bild” newspaper, referring to the federal / state counseling. “The question arises as to whether our society cannot also withstand providing adequate care for those who deliberately do not allow themselves to be vaccinated and then become seriously ill, instead of frightening and damaging the entire country and the economy with the sword of Damocles of lockdown . ”

And if so, what should the criterion be?

There seems to be a broad consensus in politics on this: the seven-day incidence – i.e. the new infections per 100,000 inhabitants and week – should no longer be alone. In addition, there should be parameters such as the vaccination rate and the occupancy rate of the hospitals. At first glance, the situation seems relaxed: the incidence is a good 21. However, it has been rising continuously for around a month. And that earlier and faster than last summer at the same time when the third wave followed. At that time there were no vaccinations – but also no delta variant, which, unlike earlier variants, does not only spread with longer contact, but rather during encounters “in passing”, as the Vice President of the Doctors of the Health Service, Elke Bruns-Philipps , had recently said.

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