According to Ursula Wiedermann-Schmidt of the National Vaccination Commission (NIG), a general recommendation for the fourth vaccination against SARS-CoV-2 for everyone aged twelve years and older in Austria will only be issued if a new corona variant occurs that makes this necessary. With the full basic vaccination you are now well protected.
So far, the NIG has issued an advice for the fourth corona vaccination for everyone over 80 and for patients at risk with a suppressed immune system, after an individual benefit-risk assessment with the attending physician. It is currently being run “off label” as there is no corresponding approval from the EMA yet.
Wide protection after the third stitch
“In recent weeks and months, important publications have appeared on the competence of the third vaccination. They show that the immunological repertoire increases extremely after the third dose. And not only in terms of the number of long-lived plasma cells and so-called memory B cells, also called memory cells, which quickly produce neutralizing antibodies after contact with the virus, but also in terms of complexity, so that after the third vaccination there is broad protection, even against different variants. that are given,” Wiedermann-Schmidt emphasized Monday in the daily newspaper “Die Presse”.
Immunologically speaking, there is currently no need to vaccinate the entire population a fourth time, also because omicron usually causes mild courses “and we now have a high infection rate. About 80 percent of the population has probably come into contact with the virus. “However, if a new modified variant should unexpectedly gain the upper hand, the situation would have to be reconsidered.”
Pick up missing boosters in the fall
The third vaccination is all the more important. Many “have not even picked up the booster yet,” Wiedermann-Schmidt says. However, those who have been vaccinated twice so far have to wait until late summer or autumn, “because then the protection is highest in autumn and winter – namely also mucosal immunity, ie immunity on the mucous membranes, which is not only serious cures, but infections are also prevented – for a short time – to a high percentage”. This, in turn, “could also be a reason to make a general recommendation for the fourth vaccination in the fall – a strong wave that starts, which can be broken with a next dose and the associated mucosal immunity that prevents infection” , the expert limited a .
Source: Krone
I am Ida Scott, a journalist and content author with a passion for uncovering the truth. I have been writing professionally for Today Times Live since 2020 and specialize in political news. My career began when I was just 17; I had already developed a knack for research and an eye for detail which made me stand out from my peers.
