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The idea sounds impressive: those who have survived Covid-19 and can prove it with an immunity card do not have to comply with the restrictions. But would that be fair? Today the Ethics Council gives its opinion.
By Birgit Schmeitzner, ARD capital studio
Documenting antibody and vaccine determinations is good practice in Germany. Almost everyone has a yellow brochure at home; babies usually receive this vaccination certificate at their first check-up. Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) wanted to present such documentation in the spring for those recovering from Covid-19 and supplement the Infection Protection Act accordingly.
As a “precautionary regulation,” Spahn said at the time, because he knew exactly: there are still too many uncertainties. Is anyone immune after recovering from illness? How long does it last? When do vaccines work? All the unanswered questions that fueled criticism of the plan.
Amendment of the Infection Protection Law postponed
In view of the many objections, also from the SPD coalition partner, the Federal Minister of Health presented the bill at the end of April without the passage with the immunity card. For Spahn, however, that was only an intermediate step. He argued that especially in the health system, with nurses and doctors, you must already know who is already immune and therefore can be used in a completely different way.
Spahn spoke out in favor of a broad social debate and instructed the Ethics Council to take up the issue.
Who stops
At the time, some countries around the world were considering introducing an immunity card. The World Health Organization cautioned that there is no evidence that antibodies protect (permanently) against a second infection. That is why there is no basis for issuing an immunity pass or a “no risk certificate”. So far nothing has changed in this official evaluation.
Virologist Drosten: The immune system has memory
However, virologist Christian Drosten sees signs that people react differently to renewed contact with the virus after recovering from Covid-19 disease. Drosten recently said in the coronavirus update from NDR informationthat the immune system has a memory that starts over immediately.
Drosten assumes that almost all patients who have had an infection can be considered immune by the end of 2021. But that does not mean that they will not have symptoms again, but they will not be as strong or as contagious.
The degree and duration of immunity were and will be discussed, because that forms the basis of everything else. The issue has many facets, so the arguments for and against are diverse.
Entry only with immunity card?
Proponents argued that those who survived the disease could move much more freely. You could go to work without contact restrictions without worrying about infection. This is particularly important for people who have a lot of professional contact with others, in the health system, in schools, with the police, in restaurants, and on local transportation. Then it would be possible to travel without problems again. It is also conceivable for countries to impose an immunity card as a condition for entry, as has been done for many years for yellow fever.
Critics use the slogan “two-class society.” An immunity card would divide society into two groups with different privileges and restrictions. That could well lead to social conflict. It is also conceivable that people become infected on purpose, either voluntarily or possibly even under pressure from the employer.
Really forgery proof?
One conceivable scenario would be that an employment contract is linked to an immunity card. Aside from personal risk, such as long-term effects, deliberate infection would further increase the number of people infected. That could put unnecessary pressure on the healthcare system. Opponents of a certificate of immunity are also skeptical that it can be designed to be tamper-proof and that it meets data protection requirements.
Spahn’s cabinet colleague, Federal Justice Minister Christine Lambrecht, also logs in here. The SPD politician recently campaigned for the discussion to be very transparent. The Corona warning app showed how important this was to people’s acceptance.
The Ethics Council should examine the requirements and consequences
The ethics council has also dealt with pros and cons in recent months. Health Minister Spahn tasked the advisory committee, convened on important societal issues like euthanasia, big data and genetic engineering, to focus on the immunity card. Obviously, it had to be done quickly: the request reached the newly formed Ethics Council almost at the same time as the appointment.
The new president of the Ethics Council, Alena Buyx, said that at the time ARD capital study, that was “quite unusual”. But of course, don’t let a ministerial request lie. A working group has already been formed and an opinion will be attempted before the summer parliamentary holidays.
That was not successful, the issue of immunity certification evidently turned out to be too complex. The ethics council examined various facets, medical principles and legal issues, purely practical implementation in management, and complex ethical classification. The advisory committee will present the result in the morning in Berlin.
