Karl Lauterbach (58) travels. As is often the case, the SPD politician spent Sunday evening with “Anne Weil” – for the first time as health minister. And the Harvard-trained epidemiologist isn’t in a bad mood despite the oomicron wave rolling in.
“To say something very clearly positive: Even with vaccines that do not target Omikron: According to the studies we have done so far, the vaccination is three times the protection at 75 percent,” Lauterbach told the Guardian. ARD . broadcast. This is very noteworthy.
The health expert also carries good news for the remaining 25 percent who have been vaccinated three times: “If they get infected anyway, they won’t usually get seriously ill.”
Modified vaccines from Spring 2022
Lauterbach explains: “So booster vaccination is incredibly valuable because we can end the delta wave and avoid the omicron wave.” He is very satisfied with the current vaccination rate in Germany, and no one is currently vaccinating faster than Germany. The plan is to “break the delta wave, to protect against the omicron wave with boosters with ‘old’ vaccines and then fend off more waves with new vaccines.”
It wasn’t until Wednesday Lauterbach in the German Bundestag as Minister of Health He was sworn in in the government under Federal Chancellor Olaf Schulz (63). According to Lauterbach, a vaccination campaign is now his focus, in order to “push the waves downward” and give the health system and politics some air. “Then we move on to the next wave and I like that very much.”
Lauterbach said he expects new vaccines from April or May. Vaccine manufacturers, such as Mainz-based Biontech, have announced that they will be working to adapt their vaccines to the Omikron escape variant.
Vaccination and booster are essential
Germany’s health minister has defended the recently passed compulsory vaccination for hospital staff and nursing homes. On Friday, the German Bundestag approved a similar amendment to the law on protection against infection.
“With the delta variant, it was the first time that compulsory vaccination was difficult to avoid. This is certainly the case with the Omikron variant,” says Lauterbach. This also includes the booster vaccination, as the second vaccination with the Omikron variant has only a 35 percent effect against them. “That’s why you wouldn’t get even with the 90 percent vaccination.” But he also asserts that “even in this case there are hardly any deaths.”
In Germany, nearly 70 percent of the population is currently fully vaccinated, and more than 22 percent have already been boosted. This places the country 10th in the world in terms of speed of booster vaccination. Switzerland ranks 31st among the world’s countries with 11.5 percent of the population. (relatives)
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