Two-thirds of Germans support making the vaccine mandatory
Variants of the coronavirus that preceded Omicron may have existed long ago, said one of the discoverers of the new variant, quoted by DPA.
“According to our current information, the early form of Omicron was formed as a separate type before the advent of Alpha and Delta,” said Wolfgang Preiser of Stellenbosch University near Cape Town.
This type of virus has probably evolved over months without attracting attention. “The question is: why did Omicron remain hidden for so long and only now spread? Weren’t there one or two mutations missing that would allow it to spread quickly?” Praiser asked.
The oldest evidence for the option so far dates back to the first half of November. Omicron, first discovered in the Republic of South Africa and Botswana, has a particularly large number of mutations, affecting the protein through which it attaches to human cells.
In Germany, 4 cases have been confirmed so far and another 8 are suspected. However, experts suggest that there are already other cases. According to the European Center for Disease Control and Prevention, within a few months the option could become dominant in Europe. So far, there are no specific data on how contagious it is and whether it leads to a more severe course of the disease, but according to preliminary information, Omicron has serious advantages over the Delta option.
At the same time, nearly two-thirds of Germans would support a proposal to make vaccines against Kovid-19 mandatory – such a proposal would be submitted to parliament. This shows a published study cited by the DPA in the wake of the EU President’s appeal to Member States to consider compulsory vaccination. Probable future Chancellor Olaf Scholz has already said he intends to introduce a bill in the Bundestag on compulsory vaccination in February or March.
63 percent of Germans polled supported making coronavirus immunization mandatory for people living in Germany. 30 percent voted against and 7 percent did not answer. The study of the Yugov Institute, conducted from December 1 to 3, involved 2,067 people.
At the beginning of vaccination in Germany about a year ago, at the end of December 2020, about 56 percent supported compulsory vaccination, and 33 percent were against.
Probable future Chancellor Olaf Scholz has said he intends to introduce a bill in the Bundestag on compulsory vaccination in February or March.
According to the Robert Koch Institute, the number of cases has decreased slightly. The new cases are 42,055, and the number of infected per 100,000 people in the last 7 days is 439.2. Last week, the new cases were 44,401, and the number of infected per 100,000 people in one week was 446.7.
However, the institute warned that many cases were likely not to be reported because the increase in hospitalizations did not leave healthcare professionals enough time to track and record all cases.
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