German Ethics Council member calls for compulsory vaccines for teachers

A member of the German Ethics Council has called on the government to make vaccines compulsory for teachers and those working in childcare.

Calls for school and nursery workers to be vaccinated

Wolfram Henn, a member of the German Ethics Council, has called for a mandatory vaccine rule for anyone working with vulnerable people. “Anyone who chooses of their own free will to work with vulnerable people takes on a special professional responsibility,” he told reporters. “We need mandatory vaccination for personnel in schools and nurseries.”

In Germany, EU-approved vaccines are only available for people over the age of 12. Whilst anyone over the age of 12 can get a vaccine, the Standing Vaccines Commission has yet to recommend people between the ages of 12 and 17 to get the jab, unless they are particularly vulnerable to the coronavirus.

Since children are less likely to have been vaccinated against the virus right now, Henn believes that people working in schools and nurseries have a duty to protect children. Henn said that, whilst children are not as susceptible to the virus as adults, they can still carry and spread it to their families. He added that this would also benefit people who are unable to get a vaccine due to having a weakened immune system, like those undergoing treatment for other diseases.