Head of statutory health insurance physicians criticizes Lauterbach's corona warning
Health Minister Lauterbach sounds the alarm: a new coronavirus wave is spreading in Germany. He calls for people to wear masks and work from home. Head of statutory health insurance physicians Gassen disagrees.
The head of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), Andreas Gassen, has accused Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach of making disproportionate appeals in view of the current coronavirus situation. "Karl Lauterbach can't get out of his skin. I think the urgency of his warnings and appeals is excessive. After all, we no longer have a pandemic situation," Gassen told the Rheinische Post newspaper.
He does not want to deny that the numbers are currently rising sharply. "But in the past, we didn't advise everyone to wear masks and avoid indoor Christmas parties because of colds or the flu. What makes sense is vaccination against coronavirus and influenza for all older people and risk groups," said Gassen.
At the same time, he expressed regret that there is now growing skepticism about vaccines. "Flu vaccination rates have never been satisfactory. At the moment, however, they feel particularly low once again. Nevertheless, I'm not surprised that more people are hesitating today," Gassen told the newspaper. "Because when the coronavirus vaccines came along, concerns about their safety and tolerability were brushed aside by doctors and politicians. Of course, there have been and still are vaccine injuries in individuals, which, just like Long Covid cases, are part of the overall picture," emphasized the KBV Chairman.
In view of the current coronavirus wave, Lauterbach once again called for caution and more vaccinations in the run-up to Christmas. "Corona remains dangerous. It's not a cold that you can catch every season without hesitation," the SPD politician told the "Bild" newspaper. Rather, corona often affects the blood vessels or weakens the immune system and can therefore far too often not be completely cured. The minister also advised people to "wear a mask again on buses and trains". If possible, people should "stay at home rather than enjoy the office society".
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Source: www.ntv.de
