Wednesday November 24th 2021
“What else has to happen?”
Spahn: Opponents of the vaccination “prefer to drag them to the intensive care unit”
The Robert Koch Institute reports maximum values for incidence and new infections. Vaccination would be an effective means of counteracting it, but some adults still refuse to do it. That frustrates Minister Spahn. In view of the situation, he also does not want to rule out a partial lockdown.
The acting Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn has shown himself to be frustrated by the still high number of those unwilling to vaccinate corona. There are still people “who believe that the virus cannot harm them,” said Spahn of the “Rheinische Post”. He would “like to drag these people to an intensive care unit and, in the face of their suffering, ask them: What still has to happen for you to get it?” The CDU politician is frustrated that the corona vaccination is a safe and highly effective means of combating the pandemic, but that “too many adults still do not want to use”.
In addition, Spahn did not rule out bringing forward the next Prime Minister’s Conference on the Corona situation, which is planned for December 9. “We can see that the situation is very serious in Saxony, Bavaria, Baden-Württemberg and Thuringia,” said Spahn. “We will probably have to move patients on a large scale within Germany for the first time. We have never had that before in the pandemic. That will still be a great challenge.”
Stricter measures for events, bars and clubs would have to be examined. When asked whether he ruled out a partial lockdown, Spahn said: “You shouldn’t exclude anything in this situation, as bitter as that is.” It is important, however, that everything is done to avoid daycare centers and schools being closed.
Meanwhile, the CDU politician Friedrich Merz has spoken out in favor of an extensive lockdown for unvaccinated people. Those who have not been vaccinated or recovered should “only be able to go to the pharmacy, the supermarket and the doctor,” said Merz to the editorial network in Germany. Such a regulation is proportionate and could also be implemented immediately. The former CDU / CSU parliamentary group leader is applying for the chairmanship of the CDU again after two failed attempts.
Merz pointed out that employees without a vaccination would no longer be able to work in the event of such a lockdown. “With consistent 2G regulation, access to the company and the workplace would only be possible for vaccinated and genesis patients – with all the consequences.” The following must apply: “No more unvaccinated people in the office, no more unvaccinated soccer players on the lawn, no more unvaccinated MPs in the Bundestag, no more unvaccinated students in the classroom.” Merz, on the other hand, was again skeptical about compulsory vaccinations.