Health Minister Lauterbach wants to improve communication on corona vaccinations

Stand: 21.07.2022 | Reading time: 2 minutes

“From the sixth time I’ll slowly become an opponent of vaccination”

Karl Lauterbach has still not noticed “that he is a minister”. He talks like a doctor. WELT chief commentator Jacques Schuster says that Lauterbach’s recommendation to “get vaccinated now and again in the fall” frightened him.

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There had always been criticism because of sometimes contradictory public statements about the corona vaccinations, most recently Stiko boss Mertens directly contradicted in WELT AM SONNTAG Lauterbach. Lauterbach now wants to coordinate more closely in a pandemic working group.

AIn view of the criticism of inconsistent statements, communication on corona vaccinations should be better coordinated. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) and the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, agreed to set up a pandemic working group within the Stiko, as both sides announced on Thursday.

This should ensure continuous communication with the ministry as early as the phase of discussion and advice on a new vaccination recommendation. Announcements on vaccinations and vaccination recommendations for Covid-19 were then made “in coordination with the Pandemic Working Group”. At the same time, the independence of the Stiko remains unaffected.

There had been repeated criticism due to sometimes contradictory public statements, most recently in connection with fourth vaccinations. Lauterbach advised second booster vaccinations after consultation with the doctor on a broader front – not only for older people from 60 or 70 years. Mertens clearly criticized Lauterbach in WELT AM SONNTAG. So far, the Stiko only recommends them from the age of 70 and for certain risk groups. The body had repeatedly been criticized for acting too slowly in the acute crisis.

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According to the agreement, some external experts are to be included in the pandemic working group. It is to be constituted soon. Lauterbach explained that with the creation of the working group and the simultaneous inclusion of further external experts, the quality of the vaccination recommendation in Germany would improve again. This is an important public health benefit when preparing new vaccination campaigns and approving new vaccines.