I.Before Christmas, the Omikron excitement drowned out that the Minister of Health had packaged bitter news as good news: he was negotiating with Bulgaria and Romania, among others, about the delivery of Biontech vaccines. Such re-imports are bitter because they refer to the shockingly low vaccination rates in some EU countries: Sofia only sells vaccines because seven out of ten Bulgarians do not get vaccinated.
Outside the EU, the rates are even lower in many poorer countries. That is why new variants will develop that will make it back to Germany – in the worst case, those that undermine vaccination protection against infection as well as Omikron, but are more deadly than Delta.
The WHO deplores wishful thinking
Lauterbach himself pointed this out at the weekend. He hardly impresses die-hard vaccination skeptics; for them he has been the head of epidemic politics for years. But the minister has cause for concern that the majority is also feeling that, thanks to Omikron, the pandemic will soon be over – perhaps with some horror, but at an end. The WHO calls this “wishful thinking”, Lauterbach “naive”.
The pandemic can only end soon if everything is finally done to prevent the next wave and the one after that, namely: vaccinate, vaccinate, vaccinate. Omikron is not a good excuse to avoid the uncomfortable vaccination debate.