Since mid-December, Andrea Nestler has been vaccinating children between the ages of five and eleven in her practices in Karlsfeld and Markt Indersdorf: “The first appointments were quickly booked up. You could tell that people were waiting for it and are looking forward to it.” At the beginning, the pediatrician vaccinated 50 to 60 children per week. Interest has now leveled off and only 10 to 20 children receive a spade a week.
According to the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), vaccination should be carried out with two doses of the Biontech vaccine in a reduced dose. However, the STIKO has not made any “general vaccination recommendations” for children between the ages of five and eleven. Vaccination for children in this age group is only recommended if the children are previously ill or have contact with people who are at high risk of a severe course of Covid – for example immunosuppressed people.
Therefore, it is up to the parents to decide whether or not to vaccinate their children. “I recommend it because it makes life easier for the children and they can move around more freely thanks to the vaccination status,” says Nestler. The vaccination also gives inner security to protect one’s own child from a severe course. Nevertheless, the doctor emphasizes that it is always an individual decision.
“It’s not like parents are snatching the vaccine out of our hands”
Parents who want their child to be vaccinated will be able to make an appointment with Nestler as soon as possible. Vaccination appointments are often canceled because the children become infected or get an appointment somewhere else at short notice, after all, all vaccinating doctors in the district currently have capacities. “It’s not like parents are snatching the vaccine out of our hands. Often we even have to throw away the vaccine,” Nestler laments. Because: For every bottle that is raised, the doctor gets ten to eleven doses of vaccine. On average, however, she only vaccinates eight to nine children a day.
Nestler sees the fall in demand, which does not only affect her practice, as being based on two factors: On the one hand, one can get omicron despite double or triple vaccination. Previously, it was assumed that vaccination also protected against all new variants of the virus. On the other hand, there is the feeling that many in the area have already been infected: “It’s no longer the taboo it was at the beginning. It no longer seems so threatening because the end of the wave may be in sight,” says Nestler. However, the incidences in children and adolescents in the district are still high: According to information from the district office, the incidence in children aged six to eleven is currently 3767.
Since February 1, the health department has no longer ordered class quarantines at schools. If a child tests positive, it stays at home, everyone else has to test themselves daily. “It is up to the school management whether the class is sent to homeschooling or not. Class quarantine is no longer possible because some children have already been vaccinated or have recovered,” explains Sina Török, press spokeswoman for the district office. Before the regulation was introduced in early February, the entire class had to be quarantined as soon as two positive cases were reported to the health department.
Corona is not life-threatening in children without previous illnesses, but the vaccination gives additional security, Andrea Nestler advertises in an interview for the vaccination of children: “The vaccinations are well tolerated. The children also show far fewer side effects than adults – that’s very gratifying.”