Germany is ready for the vaccination - are we? A comment

Jens Richter is editor-in-chief at Since July 2020, the doctor and journalist has also been responsible as COO for business operations and the strategic development of

More posts by Jens Richter All content is checked by medical journalists.

The corona vaccination has been running in Germany since the last week of December. But more than half of Germans have concerns. The hasty development and testing of completely new vaccines raises many questions - and politicians do not have any answers.

Normally, this news would have deserved a Europe-wide sigh of relief: Vaccination is allowed. The first vaccine, that of BioNTech / Pfizer, has been approved since December 21, more than 400 vaccination centers are in place and have already passed their test runs. And the vaccination ordinance, according to which the risk groups, health care workers and other systemically relevant professional groups and at some point all of us should be vaccinated, has now been signed by Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn.

Lots of questions unanswered

It all went hand in hand, so the message from politics. But in large parts of the population, the perception is completely different: Above all, it was bouncy! And "hopplahopp" does not create trust even in the greatest need.

How safe is the new mRNA vaccine really? What do we know about long-term effects? Which side effects are normal and which are dangerous? Who can be vaccinated and who is better (yet) not? As a vaccinated person, am I still contagious or do I get a "green card" and can do without A-H-A and Co.? How long does the protection last? And does it actually include the new virus mutation?

Lots of legitimate questions - and the closer people got to getting vaccines, the greater the concerns. And the more you knew about her. As of today, only 48 percent of Germans would be vaccinated against Covid-19. A good 30 percent less than in the spring.

And among the medical staff, who are particularly at risk of infection, the willingness to vaccinate seems to be even lower. The Standing Vaccination Commission at the Robert Koch Institute recently had to admit that. Although the economic and social stress of the second lockdown is almost unbearable for most people. And the economic damage is increasingly darkening the view of the future.

Above all appeasements and appeals

Why is that? It's because your own health and that of loved ones come first. And that an informed decision about this health needs information - and transparency.

But instead of information and openness, the main thing that comes from politics is appeasement maneuvers. Broad information campaigns, for example about the health insurances - nonexistent! On the Internet portal of the Ministry of Health you can find administrative information in a so-called FAQ for a long time. But on the important questions about the side effects and the safety of the vaccine, there are only two dry and meaningless statements at the bottom.

Even more disappointing was the national health portal, financed from millions of taxes, which went online in late summer. A single paragraph of text about the corona vaccination - knowledge status early September 2020.

You cannot prescribe trust

The fact that Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn stabbed the European drug approval authority EMA in the back when he suddenly, driven by the opposition and the Chancellor, demanded approval before Christmas, further damaged confidence in a careful examination of the vaccine studies . "Spahn put pressure on", says the chairman of the drug commission of the German medical profession, Prof. Wolf-Dieter Ludwig, who is also a member of the management committee of the EMA.

He understands the reluctance of citizens when asked about their willingness to be vaccinated. "If I had to make a decision now because I was 80 [years old] and I had no comorbidities [...], I believe I would not be vaccinated at the moment, but would wait for the first experiences from this vaccination program."

This is what someone says who knows like no other that vaccination is the only way to get the pandemic under control in the foreseeable future. But he has also understood that trust can only arise where there is room for those questions to which there may not be a satisfactory answer today. You cannot prescribe trust.

Vaccinate yes, but with conviction

Yes - vaccinating a large part of the population is our only chance to get the pandemic under control. We need herd immunity. And 48 percent of those willing to vaccinate are not enough for this. But the decision for or against vaccination with such a new and little-tested vaccine is an individual one and must remain so. That is also how the European Ethics Council sees it. Honest, independent and scientifically sound answers are therefore required to people's questions and concerns. Even if they end up saying: "We don't know yet."

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The editorial team has put together an extensive topic special around the corona vaccination, which is constantly growing. Even there you will not find an answer to all questions, but you will certainly find the best answers there are - independent, scientifically sound and up-to-date.

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