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There is still no vaccine against the corona, but there is a vaccine against the flu. Doctors and politicians recommend using the flu vaccine more this year. Because it’s troublesome if the corona pandemic also comes with a flu wave.
Doctors and politicians have again asked people to take more advantage of the possibility of getting vaccinated against influenza this year. The background is the stress on the health system from the corona pandemic.
“At the same time, a big wave of flu and the pandemic can hardly cope with the health system,” said Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn of “Welt am Sonntag.” Therefore, the federal government has ordered an additional vaccine. “All those who want to vaccinate themselves and their children should and can do so,” said the CDU politician.
Karl Lauterbach, an SPD health expert, also called for voluntary vaccination to be used. Bavarian Health Minister Melanie Huml from CSU said it was indispensable, especially for staff in hospitals, schools and care facilities: “So I appeal to employees’ sense of responsibility and ask them to get vaccinated.”
Social obligation to protect others
In recent years, the elderly in particular have been called on to get vaccinated. For them, the flu is often a higher risk. In view of the corona pandemic, pediatricians also recommend vaccinating children. “We know that children largely transmit the influenza virus,” said Johannes Huebner, president of the German Society for Pediatric Infectiology. In addition to the risks to the health of children, there is a social obligation to protect others in times of the corona pandemic.
Faced with possible bottlenecks in vaccines, the president of the German Medical Association, Klaus Reinhardt, recommends concentrating above all “on protecting especially vulnerable population groups”. Flu vaccines are always recommended for young people when there is an increased risk as a result of an underlying illness. He gave asthma and diabetes as examples.
Last winter, the flu kept doctors in Germany busy for several weeks. According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) in April, more than 400 people died as a result of influenza in the 2019/2020 influenza season.
