Germany could face another hard Corona winter. However, this is not due to the relatively small group of those who oppose the vaccination, but rather to the wrong priorities being set in the fight against pandemics: “We have only limited resources,” Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit, virologist at the University of Hamburg, told the Berliner Zeitung. An example: “We shouldn’t send 100 vaccinators on the hunt for opponents of vaccinations, but rather to the vulnerable groups in old people’s and nursing homes,” said Schmidt-Chanasit. According to the virologist, it is “urgently necessary to offer people over 70 years of age and those with relevant pre-existing illnesses a booster vaccination as soon as possible”. The reason for this is the fact that “this vulnerable group was vaccinated in January and February, so the basic immunization was a long time ago”.
This group is not unprotected, but the vaccination protection has, as studies from several countries show, clearly declined: “Therefore, the booster vaccinations for the vulnerable groups are now the most important thing you can do.” Schmidt-Chanasit: “This is definitely a high logistical effort for which we are not adequately prepared everywhere. The booster vaccination has to be organized, it takes a certain amount of advance notice. But it must be an absolute priority to protect the elderly and the sick. It is a fact that an 80-year-old vaccinated person has a higher risk of hospitalization than an unvaccinated 18-year-old. “
A very critical situation threatens in the old people’s and nursing homes
It is to be regretted that, because of “the still disastrous data situation in Germany, there is no central vaccination directory to be able to carry out the booster vaccinations in a targeted manner.” Schmidt-Chanasit considers the sole focus on the unvaccinated in the public debate to be wrong: “It is a wrong focus on the problem of the unvaccinated emerged. In Germany, if we add that up with the number of people who have recovered and the number of unreported cases, we actually have a good vaccination quota – because we have a very heterogeneous and significantly larger population than, for example, Denmark. ”
The number of unvaccinated people that can still be reached is “perhaps two to three million”, but these are not decisive for the infection process. Schmidt-Chanasit: “If some young people get infected in Berghain, that is not a problem at first. However, we are threatened with a very critical situation in the old people’s and nursing homes if we have 2G there and relatives and carers are not regularly tested with high-quality tests. Since we know that vaccinated people can also be infectious, infected people who have been vaccinated may now meet old people whose immune protection has already decreased significantly. Therefore, all vaccinated people must be tested further if they come into contact with vulnerable groups. “
Schmidt-Chanasit sees a second problem with people “who have language barriers and are therefore not specifically addressed by the vaccination campaign”. It is pointless to present these groups with commercials with German stars, since this target group consumes other media, namely foreign-language media. There are already initial successes, but much more needs to be done here, for example with people they trust: “For example, it is quite common for the boys to be sent to be vaccinated first – to see how they tolerate the vaccination. Now the young people come home, taking fewer precautionary measures because they do not consider themselves contagious and are no longer tested. But they can be infectious and can infect their parents or grandparents who are still unvaccinated. “
Special offers for migrant milieus
In the migrant milieus in particular, things always turn out to be difficult. The dangers for migrant milieus must be “spoken openly, we have seen with HIV how fatal it is to remain silent out of shame or for political reasons”. The inadequately informed migrant communities are “an important area in which we can still reach the unvaccinated”. Comprehensive 2G rules are pointless for this group because they often live under strained economic conditions and “are not the group that they can afford frequent visits to the theater, cinema or restaurant”.
Schmidt-Chanasit sees one of the most important problems with the nursing staff. This will also persist beyond the pandemic: “The shortage of nurses has existed for years, and not only in the intensive care units, but in all medical areas. Corona has brought the barrel to overflow. “The nursing staff are overburdened and poorly paid, many have quit the service in the pandemic. Schmidt-Chanasit: “It is still the case that a VW employee is sometimes paid significantly better than a nurse.”
The virologist paints a gloomy scenario, the concrete forms of which can already be observed today: “It may be the case that only those who can afford it will receive adequate care. Much is still cushioned by family care. But it will not be possible for much longer with the necessary intensity. That means: old and sick people are insufficiently cared for and die. This situation is already a reality today, ”says Jonas Schmidt-Chanasit.