The original plan was to submit the draft to the opposition on Friday. The epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer emphasized on Saturday that vaccination is still the “best measure” to combat the pandemic.
The draft of the compulsory vaccination law is to be discussed in the health committee on Monday. The National Council decision is planned for Thursday. It was also unclear in negotiation circles on Saturday whether the draft could still be available during the day. The talks could possibly drag on over the weekend.
Only a simple majority is required for a decision, which the government factions ÖVP and Greens have in both the National and Federal Councils. However, the government is trying to get broader approval – by involving the SPÖ and NEOS; the FPÖ completely rejects compulsory vaccination. While in the NEOS it seemed until recently that a few mandataries would say no to the project, the SPÖ recently tried to convince the skeptics within the party.
A number of details are disputed
In addition to the measure itself, a number of details were controversial until the end. This applies, for example, to the question of how under-18s are to be treated. There is an exception here for the group of 14-year-olds and older. Several media reported on Saturday that it is being considered to only introduce the obligation from the age of 18. The level of punishment also seems too high to some MPs. In addition, it should be defined more precisely that substitute prison sentences are not permissible, which is said to be clarified in the legal text.
Since, according to ELGA, the technical implementation is only possible in April, it must also be clarified how to proceed until then. Health Minister Wolfgang Mückstein (Greens) has already brought up the variant that a so-called control offense could initially be established for a transitional phase. This would mean that the authorities could carry out checks and also impose fines in a similar way to road traffic. According to media reports, these initial penalties for these checks are rumored to be between 60 and 90 euros.
Vaccination remains “best measure”
The draft assessment still provided for the obligation to apply from the age of 14, meaning that only pregnant women and those who cannot be vaccinated for health reasons would be exempt. According to this draft, there is also an exception for those who have recovered – for 180 days. The penalty range is therefore up to 3,600 euros, the fines are imposed quarterly.
The epidemiologist Eva Schernhammer said on Saturday in the Ö1 “Mittagsjournal” that she was convinced that vaccination would remain central “as the best measure”. Regarding the current omicron wave in Austria, the expert explained that she expects “that we will probably experience certain ‘disturbances’ in the system due to the significant increase in infections that we are facing” – so you will see more sick leave in professional groups, ” where it’s likely to hurt and where you have to figure out how to cope”. The number of infections will also continue to rise – “but hopefully the severe courses will not be correspondingly high, if one can assume that immunity prevails in our population” – and especially if in the next few days “the last important groups of people may also use the booster collect”.
Asked whether the omicron wave could represent a turning point in the pandemic, Schernhammer referred to expert opinions that the expected high level of infection in Europe could herald the endemic phase. It is assumed that in Austria and Europe after the wave, a large proportion – 90 percent – will have “a certain immunity – be it through vaccination or through infection”. The question is how long this immunity lasts.
However, Schernhammer expects that in the future a booster vaccination will no longer be necessary every few months: “As far as I understand, efforts are being made here to develop a vaccination that is not just focused on the spike protein, but more comprehensively against corona viruses can protect.” And then you will see “whether we will actually succeed in developing a vaccination that does not lose strength every few months, but will accompany us longer through this later phase of the pandemic”.
Concerned that the virus could also affect children, she said that the “protective shield” provided by parents is important. If they are vaccinated three times, the risk of the children infecting each other in kindergarten or at school is reduced. In addition, she referred to the current possibility of leaving the children at home without a doctor’s certificate.
In the medium term, Schernhammer hopes that a certain normality can be returned to. “I think we have a chance” if you really go into an endemic phase. However, this will be a “long process” and efforts will always be required from the population. “But I think it’s going to get easier and easier because more and more of us have increasing immunity.” There are also “terrible scenarios” that more dangerous variants could follow, but the expert considers these to be rather unlikely.
Source: Nachrichten
