On Fri, Jan 30, 2026 at 10:36:16AM +0100, Aigars Mahinovs wrote:
> On Fri, 30 Jan 2026 at 00:24, Adrian Bunk <[email protected]> wrote:
>
> > On Fri, Jan 23, 2026 at 09:04:05AM -0600, Gunnar Wolf wrote:
> > >...
> > > ## The **minimum** expected behaviour for all of our attendees is:
> > >...
> > > - You SHOULD get vaccinated against at least the most common infectious
> > > diseases (COVID, flu) weeks or months before coming to DebConf.
> > >...
> > > ## The conference organisers will:
> > >
> > > - Strongly recommend vaccines for infectious diseases before attending
> > > debconf (covid, flu, etc.)
> > >...
> >
> > Chances are that everyone already had multiple covid infections during
> > the past 6 years, which makes it a mostly moot question whether someone
> > got a covid vaccination 5 years ago.
> >
> > I will be eligible for the next covid booster when I reach the age of 75,
> > which is still a few decades away.
> >
> > Non-medical people trying to push covid vaccinations in the year 2026
> > sounds to me like trying to continue an old culture war where everyone
> > else has moved on years ago.
> >
> > Regarding flu, it's questionable whether conference organisers should
> > give medical advice that contradicts the recommendations from the
> > experts in the field of healthcare. At least here in Europe, flu
> > vaccination tends to not be a recommended vaccination covered by
> > public healthcare for working age people.
>
>
> That is not entirely correct. I talked about the recommendations of the
> STIKO commission in Germany with my family doctor. STIKO does not
> *actively* recommend people under 60 with normal immune systems to always
> get annual boosters for COVID or flu. That much is correct. However, that
> is not the same as STIKO recommending *against* doing that. And that is
> also the most broad and generic case for the general life conditions. As in
> - if all you are doing is going to work and back and maybe go to a public
> event from time to time. If you are over 60 or your work involves close
> contact with people over 60 or with people likely infected (or with birds
> or other farm animals), then STIKO does recommend annual boosters.
>
> However, if you go to a doctor and tell them that you are going overseas to
> a conference with 300+ people attending where you will be in close contact
> for up to 2 weeks .... the doctor will strongly recommend you to have a
> refreshed COVID and flu vaccination, *unless* you, personally, had strong
> contraindications to these vaccinations in the past. Travel and a large
> number of people from diverse locations greatly increases the infection
> risk which naturally impacts the recommendation.
>
> So, recommending annually refreshed COVID and flu vaccines for all DebConf
> attendees (non-mandatory, consult your doctor for contraindications) is
> very much in line with the up-to-date medical guidance. At least according
> to my GP in Germany.
It depends a lot on the country.
In Germany a STIKO recommendation is not binding for your GP, and if you
beg your doctor to get a vaccination that is not necessary but safe you
will likely get it anyhow.
Here in Finland there is no way I could get such vaccinations paid from
taxpayer money,[1] but the vaccination clinic in the city center would
happily vaccinate against flu (€ 39), COVID (€ 130) and RSV (€ 275).
There is a financial side about Debian trying to coerce people into
paying money for medical procedures the experts do not consider
necessary.
And there is also the point that people on the internet stating
"I suggest you try to get a vaccine" contrary to the recommendation
of the experts remind me of people on the internet stating
"I suggest you try to get ivermectin when you have a COVID infection":
In both cases the experts say it's safe but not worth it.
Conference organizers should defer to official government guidance
made by experts instead of inventing own medical advice.
> Best regards,
> Aigars Mahinovs
cu
Adrian
[1] even a vaccination prescription from a public healthcare doctor
often means having to buy the vaccine yourself in a pharmacy at
full price
