Ärzte im Zwiespalt: 19/05/21

The issue of 'Impfpriorisierung' (prioritisation of COVID-19 vaccinations for certain, 'high-risk' groups of people) has unsurprisingly received much media attention in Germany, particularly since the controversial decision to allow all over-16s nationally to book vaccination appointments from the beginning of June. Health minister Jens Spahn defended the decision, stating that while the initial prioritisation of groups at particular risk had saved lives, it was now time to move to the next phase of the vaccination campaign. (To watch the health minister's full statement, go to: https://www.zdf.de/nachrichten/politik/corona-impfung-priorisierung-spahn-juni-100.html)

This caricature, titled 'Doctors in conflict', reflects some of the difficulties surrounding this policy: the doctor is initially shown to be demanding the removal of vaccination priority 'categories' ('Remove vaccination prioritisation at last!'), but in the second image he is seemingly in shock and unprepared for the change: 'Oops! Why so sudden?' The portrayal of the doctor here is interesting as it somewhat contradicts the heroic, even glorified image of health service workers which was and still is so prevalent in England. Here, the first image shows him spitting with rage, while in the second he is perplexed and sweating. In this way, the caricaturist critically suggests that doctors themselves have no clear standpoint on how the vaccination campaign should proceed.

The main challenge posed by the lifting of prioritisation is the overburdening of booking processes both at vaccination centres and GP practices. Another problem is the inconsistency - different organisations are receiving different amounts and different types of vaccines, meaning that getting an appointment is somewhat of a lottery. As an example from personal experience, I was able to get an appointment at my GP relatively swiftly, while colleagues of mine had to wait for weeks. Meanwhile there is the ongoing debate as to whether some people still need the vaccine more urgently than others. Some would argue that people in the younger age brackets did not need a vaccination so soon, since there are still people at much greater risk who have not yet been vaccinated. On the other hand, the vaccination is a crucial step for every member of society to be able to carry on with their lives, so it seems only right that everyone should have equal access to it.