Politicians from the SPD and the Greens have dampened expectations of a swift decision by the Bundestag on a general compulsory vaccination. SPD parliamentary group vice-president Dirk Wiese told the Berliner Daily mirror: “We should bring the deliberations in the Bundestag to a conclusion in the first quarter.” That is a demanding schedule. With a view to possible delays, Wiese emphasized that the compulsory vaccination does not have a short-term effect anyway, but is “in perspective a precaution for the coming autumn and winter”.
The leader of the Greens in the Bundestag, Britta Haßelmann, emphasized: “This is not an easy decision, it means a deep intervention.” In the groups it must first be discussed what ideas there are. “And then we can hold the public debate in the Bundestag at the end of January,” said Haßelmann to the newspapers of the Funke media group. The question is “so relevant and extensive” that it needs “sound and very careful advice”. Hasselmann himself spoke out in favor of compulsory vaccination.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann from the FDP called for a quick decision on the issue. “The Bundestag should decide quickly whether a compulsory vaccination is introduced. And if so, for whom,” he told Bild am Sonntag. MEPs should also take the time to carefully consider this difficult issue.
A vote without group specifications is planned. The first thing under discussion is an “orientation debate” in January. The SPD aims to conclude a legislative process “in the first quarter”, ie by the end of March. The next regular meeting of the Bundesrat would be on April 8th.
A majority of Germans are in favor of a general compulsory vaccination. According to a representative Insa survey for Bild am Sonntag, 61 percent are in favor, 32 percent against, and 7 percent do not answer. Most of the supporters are with 79 percent among the Greens voters, closely followed by the SPD supporters with 78 percent approval. 74 percent of AfD supporters, on the other hand, reject the compulsory vaccination. (9.1.2022)
RKI registers 36 552 new corona infections
The Robert Koch Institute has again reported an increase in the nationwide seven-day incidence. The value is now 362.7. It has been increasing day by day since the end of December. The day before it was 335.9. A week ago the nationwide incidence was 222.7. The health authorities reported 36 552 new infections to the RKI within one day.
According to the new information, 77 deaths were recorded across Germany within 24 hours. A week ago there were 46 deaths.
All these figures are subject to a certain reservation, since fewer tests were carried out at the turn of the year and the authorities did not forward cases to the RKI at the usual speed. The quality of the data should gradually improve at the beginning of January. (9.1.2022)
The Marburger Bund warns against only looking at a possible overload of intensive care units. Bottlenecks threatened even at normal stations.
Medical Association: Normal wards are also threatened with overload
The medical association Marburger Bund warns of an overload of the normal wards in hospitals. “It would be a mistake to only look at the capacity utilization of the intensive care units during the Omikron wave,” said the chairwoman of the association, Susanne Johna, of the editorial network in Germany. The majority of the milder cases have to be treated in the emergency rooms and on the normal wards. The Marburger Bund expects significantly more hospital admissions than with the Delta variant.
“There is a risk that many people will not even perceive their corona infection as such and only assume they have a cold,” said Johna. In this way, odor and taste disorders would no longer occur with an Omicron infection. Johna therefore advised that a rapid antigen test should be carried out even if the symptoms were very slight. “Anyone who has a cold, coughs or feels unwell should test and isolate themselves as a precaution and, if in doubt, do another antigen test on the second day.” (9.1.2022)
In the opinion of their teachers, students cannot make up for corona failures in the school year
64 percent of teachers at high schools and schools leading to the Abitur assume that their students will not be able to make up for the failures caused by the corona pandemic by the end of the school year. This is the result of a survey conducted by the German Association of Philologists among around 7,000 teachers at these schools in Germany in November 2021, which of the Picture on sunday according to its own information is available.
“The ministers of education must strengthen the education system in the long term in terms of personnel and material quality,” said Prof. Dr. Susanne Lin-Klitzing, federal chairwoman of the association, the newspaper. 49 percent of the teachers surveyed stated that their school did not employ enough specialist teachers for regular lessons. (9.1.2022)
Demos and counter-demos
Several thousand anti-vaccination opponents and doubters of corona protective measures have taken to the streets again in Germany. One of the biggest events took place on Saturday afternoon in Hamburg. There the police spoke of around 13,700 participants, and thus corrected the initial information of around 16,000. In Hamburg, the organizer called on the participants over loudspeakers to comply with the mask and distance requirement. Nevertheless, many people were traveling without masks and without any distance. The police have initiated an investigation against at least one demo participant who wore a Star of David with the words “unvaccinated” on them on suspicion of sedition.
There were also larger demonstrations in Magdeburg (Saxony-Anhalt), Freiburg (Baden-Württemberg) and Schwerin (Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania). According to the police, up to 8,000 people demonstrated against corona measures at a registered event in Frankfurt am Main. According to the police, there were several thousand in Düsseldorf, the organizers spoke of around 4,000. According to the police, up to 6,000 people gathered in Freiburg for a registered protest. There were almost 2000 in Wetzlar in Hesse and around 1250 in Trier. Dozens of people demonstrated in a car and bicycle parade in Berlin. The police counted more than 70 cars, 100 bikes and a total of about 200 participants. In Bavaria, too, demonstrated against the Corona measures in several places on Saturday.
In Minden in East Westphalia, however, around 2500 people took to the streets to demonstrate against “lateral thinkers”. They expressed their displeasure with corona deniers, vaccination skeptics and right-wing extremists. “Yes to freedom of expression and togetherness – decidedly no to hatred, threats and violence,” it said on a poster.
Hundreds of people in Dresden have also taken a stand against violent corona protests and for solidarity. Candles were placed in front of the Dresden Frauenkirche to commemorate the victims of the corona pandemic. So far around 1,400 people have died from and with Covid-19 in Dresden. The initiative “show attitude” called for the candle campaign on Neumarkt. It was under the motto “With distance and decency optimistic into the new year”. By late afternoon around 300 people, including many families with children, had answered the call. On the platform www.haltung-zeigen.com More than 10,000 people had signed a call for solidarity by the initiative by Saturday evening.
Federal Justice Minister Marco Buschmann calls for violence against police officers or journalists during corona demonstrations to be avoided under any circumstances. “If rules are systematically violated or violent attacks occur, meetings must be dissolved as a last resort, if necessary,” said the FDP politician to the newspapers of the Funke media group. (09.01.2022)
Lauterbach: The anti-vaccination debate has lost all measure
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is concerned about the radicalization of a minority in society. “A small group is ready to wipe all scientific knowledge off the table and voluntarily enter a bubble of pseudo-truths,” says the SPD politician World on sunday. This is a new and frightening development. “What could be the argument that I am trying to kill someone just because they publicly propose to be vaccinated in their own interest and in the interest of society? The debate between vaccination opponents and corona deniers has lost all measure and aim. “
He also announced a redesign of the vaccination infrastructure. “If we get a variant that is as contagious as Omikron, but significantly more deadly, we should be able to develop and manufacture a new vaccine in the shortest possible time,” he told the newspaper. The federal government is preparing for it with high pressure. “We are currently in the process of creating a structure for this. We need a permanent infrastructure.” The population must be able to be vaccinated as quickly as possible at any time. “Germany is currently in a vulnerable phase. Another serious outbreak can occur at any time. We must not fall into the naive assumption that it will be over soon. It is not over.”(08.01.2022)
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