Status: 09/20/2022 1:55 p.m
The first vaccines against the new corona subvariants have already been approved in the EU. The Standing Vaccination Commission now also wants to recommend using these as a booster.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) wants to recommend a booster vaccination against the coronavirus, preferably with new preparations adapted to Omikron.
Both the booster adapted to the omicron variant BA.1 and the vaccines tailored to the subvariants BA.4/BA.5 could be used, said STIKO committee member Christian Bogdan in a press conference at the Science Media Center. In the EU, the adapted corona booster vaccinations have already received the green light.
“We now have three adapted vaccines that are safe to use that allow us to broaden the immune response,” Bogdan said. The scientist from the University Hospital Erlangen announced that nothing should change in the previous criteria for the administration of first and second booster vaccinations. This means that, for example, the panel believes that quadruple vaccinations are still only considered necessary for certain groups, such as people aged 60 and over and residents of nursing homes.
Existing vaccines can continue to be used
In addition, the existing vaccines could continue to be used, which still provide very good protection against severe courses, hospital stays and death. Bogdan emphasized that all existing vaccines protect very well against serious illnesses. With the new preparations, it is a question of preparing for any further Omikron sub-lines that may appear in the future. The BA.5 virus variant is now the dominant one in Germany.
An official notification on the draft of the vaccination recommendation is to be published later today, as the Science Media Center announced. It will therefore not yet be a final STIKO recommendation. So changes are possible.
In the past few weeks, several advanced corona vaccines have been approved in the EU. It can be used in people aged 12 and over as a booster vaccination. In addition to Omikron, the new vaccines also take into account the original corona virus. The goals are a better immune response against omicron and a refresher in relation to the so-called wild type.
Data on adapted vaccines still sparse
In its decision, the STIKO made no distinction between the BA.1 vaccines and the newer BA.4/BA.5 preparation, said Bogdan. The relatively sparse data situation was therefore difficult for the expert panel. This applies in particular to the newer BA.4/BA.5 preparation. The STIKO is “not particularly happy” that there is no data from studies on humans, said Bogdan. Experts speak of the better data situation for the BA.1 vaccine compared to BA.4/BA.5.
Various pieces of the puzzle should have been linked and conclusions drawn by analogy, also criticized STIKO member Jörg Meerpohl, director of the Institute for Evidence in Medicine at the University Hospital Freiburg. But you have to live with what you have. Bogdan emphasized that given the extensive experience with previous Covid-19 vaccines, it is not to be expected that a problem will be encountered.
In Germany, a situation has now been reached in which “a very good basic immunity in the population” exists. Immuno-healthy people under 60 with the recommended three vaccinations do not need a fourth vaccination for the time being, said Bogdan. Even an infection that has gone through should be evaluated like a vaccination. The advice from experts is to use available preparations if a booster is due and not to postpone the step in view of a supposedly better, newer vaccine. Otherwise you run the risk of getting sick in the meantime.