The National Vaccination Commission (NIG) now also advises in writing a corona booster vaccination, the fourth suture, for people over 65 and at risk persons. The experts have not yet issued a general recommendation for a fourth suture for people aged 12 to 64 with healthy immune systems. They expect such a recommendation before the autumn.
If someone has their vaccination refreshed on personal request, despite the lack of advice, this is currently possible for all persons aged twelve years and older, provided that the third vaccination was four months ago. A six-month break is recommended.
The first vaccination series currently includes two immunizations three weeks apart for all vaccines. From six months later, the third vaccination is administered, then the primary immunization is completed. If healthy people between the ages of 12 and 64 have received the basic vaccination, “they generally do not tend to develop severe forms on clinical admissions,” according to the NIG.
New vaccination campaign starts in autumn
The experts responsible for the decision expect a general recommendation for the booster vaccination in the autumn. According to the Ministry of Health, the federal government is therefore starting a low-threshold vaccination campaign at companies, clubs and other institutions. All citizens must again be informed by letter about the booster vaccination, the ministry announced on Thursday.
The updated application advice, published Thursday, provides a fourth stab for “people over 65 and at-risk individuals aged 12 and over with previous illnesses and/or who have conditions that are at increased risk of a severe course of Covid-19 or for who can be expected to receive a shorter vaccination protection”, is recommended. The booster should ideally take place six months after the third vaccination or infection.
No vaccination recommended for children under five
“Together with the federal states, we are now mainly tackling the over-65s to convince them of a booster vaccination,” said Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) in a broadcast. It is emphatically not necessary to wait for the approval of a vaccine that has been adapted to a new variant. “Currently available vaccines remain highly effective in preventing hospitalizations, complications and serious disease progression,” the Vaccination Commission said. It still does not recommend vaccination for children under the age of five.
In its advice, the NIG also pointed out that infection with an omicron variant has different immunological properties than infections with previous virus variants. Infection with BA.1 or BA.2 does not lead to sustained and resilient immunity, so there is no good protection against re-infection with the currently predominant variants (BA.4, BA.5). Therefore, previous infection of a variant no longer replaces vaccination in the primary immunization. Neutralizing antibodies are also not relevant for the vaccination recommendation. If there were multiple infections, the vaccination interval is calculated from the last infection.
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.
