Status: 08/19/2022 10:25 a.m
According to Health Minister Lauterbach, the federal government has pre-ordered enough vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant. But not everyone should wait – and others should be patient when vaccinating.
A vaccine specially adapted to the predominant omicron variant of the coronavirus has not yet been approved in the EU – nevertheless, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach is already trying to prevent any concerns about a renewed impending shortage of vaccines.
“We have ordered so many customized Omicron vaccines that there is enough for everyone,” the SPD politician assured the news portal t-online. But of course not everyone who wants to be administered the adapted active ingredient can be vaccinated at once. The European Medicines Agency is aiming for approval of an adapted vaccine for the autumn.
However, with a view to older or vulnerable population groups, the Minister of Health warns against waiting so long to get vaccinated. The number of daily new infections and deaths in connection with corona infection is still too high nationwide. Lauterbach emphasized that people who are particularly at risk should therefore already be getting boosters: “I absolutely advise citizens over 60 to follow the Stiko’s advice and not wait for the new vaccines.”
STIKO expands vaccination recommendations
With his advice that certain risk groups should not wait for the vaccine designed for Omikron, Lauterbach is in line with the Standing Vaccination Committee of the RKI (STIKO). It was only on Thursday that it extended its recommendation as to who should get a second booster vaccination.
The committee now advises all people over the age of 60 to have boosters again. The same applies to people aged five and over who are at increased risk of developing serious illnesses from Covid-19 due to an underlying disease. According to STIKO, the prerequisite for the second booster vaccination from the age of 60 is that the first booster or a corona infection was at least six months ago.
STIKO is also calling on older people and risk groups to get boosters a second time. The vaccines that have already been approved also offer good protection against serious illnesses and courses. Those under the age of 60 who have been vaccinated three times or who have been infected should not be vaccinated a fourth time at this time. An exception is medical staff, for whom another booster vaccination is already recommended.
Seven million people have boosted for the second time so far
According to the Robert Koch Institute, the current seven-day incidence nationwide is 312.5. In the past 24 hours, the health authorities of the federal states had reported around 46,724 new corona cases and 169 deaths in connection with a corona infection to the institute.
According to RKI figures, 63.4 million people nationwide are currently considered to be basic immunized. So you have received two doses of vaccine. This corresponds to 76.3 percent of the total population in Germany. With around 51.5 million people, 62 percent of all Germans have received a booster vaccination – the so-called booster. So far, around seven million people, which accounts for 8.4 percent of the population, have received a second booster vaccination.