MUNICH (GERMANY), Oct 24 (dpa / EP) –
The German international and Bayern Munich player Joshua Kimmich has sparked a heated debate in his country after acknowledging that he is not vaccinated against the coronavirus and that he has “personal reservations” about the vaccine.
Kimmich assured that he had made the decision not to be immunized, but stressed that he is not a denialist and did not rule out vaccinating in the future. The controversy goes beyond the Bundesliga itself and sport, amid growing numbers of contagion in Germany (with an incidence today of 106.3 cases per 100,000 inhabitants) and in view of the role of Kimmich as a social model.
“Yes, that’s true,” the 26-year-old said on Saturday after the 4-0 win against Hoffenheim, when asked by a Sky reporter if it was true that he was not vaccinated. “I have some personal reservations, especially when it comes to the lack of long-term studies,” Kimmich said.
Previously, the Bild newspaper had reported that five professionals of the Bundesliga champion had not been vaccinated against COVID-19, one of them Kimmich.
His teammate Thomas Müller said in turn that as a friend he understands Kimmich’s position but that in his opinion “vaccination is the best option.” “I hope the players who were not vaccinated change their minds,” he said.
The former chairman of the Bayern board of directors Karl-Heinz Rummenigge assured that he hopes that Kimmich will be vaccinated soon, as the player himself has said. “As a role model, but also as a fact, it would be better if he had been vaccinated,” he said.
“It is not good that he is not vaccinated. It is complicated when he says he is going to wait,” Social Democratic deputy and health expert Karl Lauterbach told the Sport1 radio station. “It is a personal decision of Joshua Kimmich. We should not push, but it would be very valuable, because it would be a huge symbol,” he added.
“FC Bayern recommends getting vaccinated, as I do personally, to, among other things, perhaps allow everyone to lead a more normal life,” sports director Hasan Salihamidzic said of the club’s position. But, as in Germany there is no compulsory vaccination, he added, the club “made the recommendation and everyone can decide for himself.”
According to official records, about 66 percent of Germans are fully vaccinated. Health authorities aspire to a vaccination rate of 85 percent for the age group 12 to 59 years and 90 percent for those over 60, so the figures are still far from being reached.
Despite all the scientific findings, the immunization debate remains intense in Germany, and the statements by such a prominent national actor further fuel it. Kimmich is the father of two children and the first known Bundesliga professional to make public and justify his unvaccinated status.
He is also a figure praised for his social commitment, as he and his Bayern teammate Leon Goretzka have raised more than 6 million euros through their charity ‘We Kick Corona’, which among other things has helped the UN buy vaccines for countries that lack them.
This charity was launched in March 2020 to help victims of the disease and long before vaccines were available.
Scientists such as Carsten Watzl, general secretary of the German Immunology Society, who spoke of a “persistent misunderstanding among many people” about the supposed long-term effects of vaccines, also spoke out about the controversy. Any side effects occur within a few weeks of vaccination and then the reaction ends because the vaccine is no longer present in the body, Watzl told dpa.
“A lot of people think the long-term effects are if I get vaccinated today and have a side effect next year. That doesn’t exist, never has been, and it won’t happen with the COVID-19 vaccine either,” Watzl said.
Unvaccinated professional footballers should undergo two weekly PCR or antigen tests before training, matches and travel. In case of infection, they would have to be quarantined for a longer time, which could affect the success of the team.
The debate is also heated because spectators are only allowed to enter stadiums under strict hygiene protocol and in some clubs only if they are fully vaccinated or have recovered. That excludes those who only undergo testing, while instead there are players who are not vaccinated.