The first vaccines against the SarS-CoV-2 virus have been licensed in Germany since the end of December 2020. According to the recommendations of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), vaccination against COVID-19 contributes to both individual protection and pandemic containment. In Germany alone, more than 2.2 million people have contracted COVID-19 and 54,000 people have died from it so far. Vaccination can greatly reduce the risk of infection and illness.
The Center for Medical Law in cooperation with the "Demokratische Aktion Fachschaft" (DAF) therefore now invites, as part of the event series "Göttinger Medizinrecht aktuell", to an online panel discussion on the topic "Freedom or Solidarity? - The world after the Corona vaccinations". It will take place on Thursday, February 18, 2021, starting at 7 PM via the video conferencing tool "Zoom".
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Wacker, head of the Chair of Sociology of Diversity, will then be a guest at the online panel discussion together with Prof. Dr. Susanne Schreiber, Deputy Chair of the German Ethics Council, Prof. Dr. Jürgen Wienands from the Department of Cellular and Molecular Immunology at the University Medical Center Göttingen (UMG) and Prof. Dr. Stefan Huster from the Chair of Public Law, Social and Health Law and Philosophy of Law at the Ruhr University Bochum.
Among other topics, the discussion will focus on access to vaccines for the general population, how vaccines work, and also the shortcomings of the current prioritization of vaccinations from a jurisprudential and sociological perspective.
"Equal rights for all - and at the same time factual diversity of people, how to bring this together in concrete terms is exciting," explains Prof. Wacker. "The Corona pandemic exposes how difficult it is to know who each has opportunities to participate in health care and at the same time risks being discriminated against. Should individuals be privileged when it comes to vaccination? Or should the resourceful and quickest get the scarce protective drug first? Would that be fair? Possible answers are well illustrated by the example of the group of people with impairments and disabilities. Should they or should they be put on an equal footing with people of advanced age? This is certainly as worthy of consideration as whether professional footballers should be given preferential vaccination."
The event is open to all interested persons and free of charge, non-binding prior registration by e-mail is requested.
To the information page of the online panel discussion
To the homepage of the Chair of Sociology of Diversity
Contact:
Prof. Dr. Elisabeth Wacker
Chair of Sociology of Diversity
Georg-Brauchle-Ring 60/62
80992 München
phone: 089 289 24460
e-mail: Elisabeth.Wacker(at)tum.de
Text: Romy Schwaiger
Photo: Astrid Eckert/TUM