After Health Minister Karl Lauterbach spoke out clearly in favor of a fourth corona vaccination for younger people, the head of the Standing Vaccination Commission is now opposed.
Berlin – Despite the blue skies and tropical temperatures, summer is unfortunately still dominated by the corona pandemic this year. The omicron variant BA.5 is spreading further and even if most people would like to gradually forget about the corona virus, high numbers of infections are still being recorded in this country.
A ray of hope is the stately vaccination rate of over 75 percent. Since the corona vaccine has been available, over 63 million Germans have been fully vaccinated. However, since the booster vaccination was probably a few months ago for many, a possible fourth dose for people outside the risk groups is currently being hotly debated. Expert opinions are divided on this.
Fourth corona vaccination: Lauterbach recommends a second booster for everyone
A second booster vaccination is currently recommended primarily for people over the age of 70, as well as for people with a weakened immune system, high-risk patients and staff in medical facilities. Anyone who falls into one of these categories and received the last dose at least six months ago can apply for the second booster – and thus protect themselves and those around them even better in the coming weeks and months.
Despite these guidelines, Health Minister Karl Lauterbach spoke out against the mirror now, however, for a fourth vaccination in other groups of people. Accordingly, anyone older than 60 should have the fourth dose administered. According to the SPD politician, younger people should also be able to receive the second booster after consulting their doctor. This should reduce the risk of infection – and make summer a little more relaxed.
Fourth corona vaccination: Stiko boss contradicts Lauterbach’s proposal
Lauterbach’s proposal for a fourth corona vaccination for younger people met with little approval from other experts. “I think it’s bad to make medical recommendations under the motto ‘a lot helps a lot’,” said Thomas Mertens, chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko). world on Sunday announce.
Contrary to what is regulated in this country, the EU health authority ECDC has set the age limit for fourth corona vaccinations at 60 years – which, according to Thomas Mertens, is a good decision. “The risk of a severe course increases with age. It is not easy to make an exact age cut here.” However, according to the Stiko boss, it should not be sustainable to extend the second booster vaccination to much younger sections of the population – and thus to have to vaccinate significantly more people in the near future. “The aim of these vaccinations is not to prevent infections, but diseases.” (le)
Meanwhile, the BA.5 omicron variant is spreading rapidly around the world. In China, strict lockdowns have now been announced again.
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