Status: 08/09/2022 10:17 p.m
Health Minister Lauterbach has in the daily topics defended the planned Corona rules. In order to be able to control exceptions to the mask requirement, for example for newly vaccinated people, there should be different colored certificates in the warning app.
In an interview with the daily topics Health Minister Lauterbach defended the planned corona measures for autumn and winter. “The mask will be the rule,” he said, with a view to the exceptions for newly vaccinated and recently recovered people from a possible mask requirement provided for in the draft for a new infection protection law. “In the beginning, very few will be freshly vaccinated.”
The draft provides for the possibility of compulsory masks in the event of high incidences. At the same time, exceptions are planned – for example, people are to be exempted from the mask requirement in restaurants or at events if their vaccination is not older than three months. To it had previously been criticized. “The exception should not be understood in such a way that people should then be vaccinated every three months,” emphasized Lauterbach. That is medically nonsensical, he advises “absolutely” against it. One could also be happy if enough people were vaccinated at all. Vaccination too often, “that won’t happen”.
It was also criticized that it would be difficult to control the exceptions. “Here, for example, it is provided that you can immediately see on the Corona warning app by the color of the vaccination certificate whether it is a fresh vaccination or not,” said Lauterbach. This will make it easier to control than rules like 2G or 2Gplus in the past.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach on the proposals for renewed corona measures
daily topics 10:15 p.m., 9.8.2022
Lauterbach: Older people should not wait for new vaccines
With a view to the expected new vaccines, the SPD politician explained that he recommends that older people and people with risk factors not wait and have the vaccination refreshed now. “Otherwise you can make a mistake that you pay dearly for.” In the group mentioned there are “large vaccination gaps” and when the new vaccines come – at the end of September, beginning of October – it is “simply too long with the high incidence that we currently have”. Especially since it is important for older people that the vaccines protect against serious illness and death, according to Lauterbach – and the existing ones are already doing that. With younger people, however, it could make sense “to wait a little longer”.
Lauterbach also said again, he expects a clear regulation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) – for example whether over 60-year-olds should now be vaccinated again: “We actually need an announcement as to who should be vaccinated and who should not. It can then look like the STIKO wants it to.”
Countries criticize exceptions
In the video conference of the federal and state health ministers, several states had previously criticized the draft of the Infection Protection Act presented by Lauterbach and Justice Minister Marco Buschmann. The chairwoman of the Conference of Health Ministers (GMK), Saxony-Anhalt’s Minister of Health Petra Grimm-Benne, said after the meeting that two points were particularly important to the states. On the one hand, there should be nationwide criteria as to when certain corona measures should be taken. On the other hand, the previously planned exceptions to the mask requirement should be readjusted.
Grimm-Benne said the latter was “difficult to understand” and difficult to control. “In addition, we are not quite sure whether there will actually be a lot of people who have just recovered and who have been vaccinated who can prove it. Because even the vulnerable groups who have already had their fourth vaccination may have already exceeded the three months “, she said. However, the states in the GMK could only make suggestions, decisions would be made in the Bundestag.
Discussions about protective measures for the third Corona winter
Gabor Halasz, ARD Berlin, daily topics 10:15 p.m., August 9, 2022
Holetschek sees STIKO as having an obligation
Bavaria’s Health Minister Klaus Holetschek appealed to the Standing Vaccination Commission to submit a recommendation that could be used as a guide when developing the new rules. The countries do not shy away from decisions, but they want a uniform basis for decision-making in order not to create a patchwork of rules, said Holetschek tagesschau24.
This applies to vaccination, i.e. who should be vaccinated when or whether an adapted vaccine can be waited for, and to the parameters used to decide which corona measures should be taken. He would like STIKO to tell the countries how the parameters should be weighted.