General or for specific groups?
There are different levels of mandatory vaccination. One of these has already been decided: the facility-based mandatory vaccination, which will apply from March 15, 2022, to staff in facilities with vulnerable people, such as clinics, doctors’ offices, facilities for the disabled and nursing homes.
Arguments for compulsory vaccination
End the pandemic
According to expert estimates, in view of the highly contagious Omikron variant, a complete immunization of 90 percent of the total population is necessary to end the pandemic. Currently, 75.9 percent are fully immunized (as of April 07, 2022).
Maintaining health care
In addition, health care must be maintained for the entire population. The fundamental right to physical integrity, which opponents of vaccination often cite as a counter-argument, applies conversely to those who have been vaccinated.
This could be repeated in future waves. Vaccinated people still get infected and have to go to hospital. But the unvaccinated are affected much more frequently. This exacerbates the situation without need.
Contagion is not a good alternative
Sars-CoV-2 could become more dangerous
Continuous exposure for vaccinated persons not reasonable
The majority of the population is vaccinated. In the long term, these citizens cannot be expected to continue to accept restrictions just because a significantly smaller proportion of the population does not want to be vaccinated.
Pacifying society
Exit strategy for the unvaccinated
For people who have expressed for many months that they would not get vaccinated but are now doubtful, mandatory vaccination could be an exit strategy that lets them save face.
Arguments against compulsory vaccination
Encroachment on fundamental rights
Efficacy against Omikron is uncertain
It is already clear that the current vaccines provide less protection against the Omikron variant than against its predecessors. Even though vaccinated individuals are still demonstrably less likely to become severely ill and also less likely to infect others, this also reduces the benefit of vaccination for the general public. This weakens the case for mandatory vaccination.
Staff shortages due to layoffs
This could even affect vaccinated persons, who feel that a special vaccination requirement for their profession would be an unwarranted squeeze. Since many facilities in these areas are already understaffed, in some cases catastrophically so, an additional loss of manpower would further exacerbate the situation.
Shaken confidence
Increased fears
Radicalization
Another fear: Compulsory vaccination could contribute to further radicalization of opponents of vaccination. Those who see compulsory vaccination as a threat to individual freedom and fear physical harm could increasingly feel a need to go on the “counterattack” – and even fight back physically.
Difficult enforcement
Is the general willingness to vaccinate declining?
People don’t like to be told what to do. The perceived loss of self-determination could have the effect that this is compensated for elsewhere – for example, in the case of non-compulsory vaccinations such as influenza vaccination. General willingness to vaccinate could decline as a result of mandatory vaccination against Covid-19.
What does mandatory vaccination mean in concrete terms?
- No compulsory vaccination! A vaccination obligation does not mean a forced vaccination! No one will be picked up by the police and dragged to vaccination.
- Fines: Sanctions will be limited to fines. How high these will be is still open. Also, the fine could be withdrawn if the person gets vaccinated within a certain period of time.
- Time limit: Mandatory vaccination against Covid-19 would likely be limited to a certain period of time – namely, until the pandemic has turned into an endemic. For example, that could be one to two years.
Does mandatory vaccination also apply to children?
What does the Ethics Council say?
In a statement on the expansion of mandatory vaccination on December 22, 2021, the German Ethics Council advocated mandatory vaccination under strict conditions.
Outlook: In the long term, Sars-CoV-2 will become commonplace
Experts believe Sars-CoV-2 will become endemic – meaning Covid-19 will continue to flare up in the population on and off. The virus will not go away. But it will, if most of the population has basic immune protection due to vaccination or having been through infection, be able to be assessed similarly to the annual flu.
