Status: 10/24/2022 11:43 a.m
STIKO boss Mertens expects higher numbers of infections by December and still doesn’t want a second booster vaccination for everyone. Because: Vaccinations do not offer any protection against an infection, only against a severe course.
According to the Standing Vaccination Commission, the second corona booster vaccination should only be recommended to people over 60 and people with previous illnesses. There are currently no plans to expand the existing corona vaccination recommendations, said STIKO chairman Thomas Mertens of the dpa news agency. There is no reason for that. “Because it turns out that the vaccination does not offer long-term protection against a corona infection, but it does offer protection against a severe course,” said the Ulm virologist.
Everyone will get infected from time to time
It is unthinkable to have the general public vaccinated regularly to avoid infections. Everyone will foreseeably become infected again and again. Regarding the development of the current corona infection situation, Mertens said that it was very difficult to predict. However, he expects the number of infections to increase by December.
There is currently another wave of corona diseases, which is causing problems for clinics, mainly due to staff shortages and failures. Mertens also expects catch-up infections with the flu to a certain extent.