The Vaccination Task Force is currently not in favor of compulsory vaccination of healthcare staff. This is stated in an advice at the request of Minister of Health Frank Vandenbroucke (Vooruit).
The task force does say that a new flare-up of the epidemic can be expected. And should the situation deteriorate sharply in that case, she will reconsider her advice.
There has been a dispute for months about the injection obligation in the healthcare sector. Last year, the federal government agreed on the principle of compulsory vaccination for staff. Originally, the injection obligation was to come into effect on January 1, with a transition period of three months. Thereafter, there was an entry into force on 1 July, with the option of changing the timing. At the beginning of last month, a sleeve was also adapted to this, so that the vaccination obligation is only applied after a decision by the Council of Ministers.
opposition
The competent bill has yet to be given the green light in the plenary Chamber. The trade unions in the sector, among others, are opposing it, but the opposition in parliament is also questioning whether it is still so urgent to make the obligation to vote quickly in parliament. In addition, staff who do not want to be vaccinated against Covid-19 are at risk of being suspended or fired, while the healthcare sector is already struggling with a staff shortage, according to the criticism.
Minister Vandenbroucke distils from the advice that it is useful to have a legislative framework available that makes it possible in a certain epidemiological context to make vaccination mandatory in health care and also to organize it. Despite the fact that the vaccination rate of healthcare personnel is very high, improvements are still possible, according to the minister.
Health ministers are also considering a spring booster against the coronavirus for people over 80 and residents in residential care centers.