Health
Lauterbach: With vaccinations and consideration through Corona autumn
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach opens the start of the corona vaccination season. photo
© Lisi Niesner/Reuters/Pool/dpa
The Minister of Health shows how it is done: He gets vaccinated against Corona with the adapted preparation. Meanwhile, Stiko is sticking to its recommendations.
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach is calling for recommendations before autumn Corona booster vaccinations and relies on mutual consideration as the number of infections increases. “The Covid infection is not a cold, it is no small matter,” says the SPD politician.
People over 60 and with risk factors should reduce the risk of permanent damage like Long Covid by getting vaccinated. The 60-year-old had previously given himself an injection with the adapted vaccine.
Biontech’s preparation, which is adapted to current virus variants, should now be available in practices. A total of 14 million doses are expected for this vaccination season. It is a vaccine adapted to the Omicron subline XBB.1.5, which is intended to provide better protection against circulating variants.
Stiko sticks to vaccination recommendations
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) is sticking to its previous vaccination recommendations for the newly adapted corona vaccine. The expert committee said certain risk groups should still protect themselves with a booster vaccination. These include people aged 60 and over, people with certain previous illnesses from the age of six months, nursing and health workers and relatives of high-risk patients. “At the beginning of the vaccination season, very old people and other people with a relevant risk of serious illness if infected should preferably be vaccinated,” it says.
For healthy adults, the following still applies: Anyone who has been vaccinated twice against Sars-CoV-2 and boosted or infected has, from Stiko’s perspective, built up basic immunity and does not need to plan for another booster. Even for healthy minors, the announcement remains the same – routine corona vaccination is not recommended.
Experts expect the health system to be under strain
Lauterbach said that a large number of cases of infection can be expected again this autumn. But there is broad immunity in the population. “Based on what we currently know, we don’t need any measures in the sense of contact restrictions.” Nevertheless, everyone should protect themselves if they have risk factors. “This can also include using a mask in rooms with many people if he is at risk.”
It is unclear how demand for the corona vaccination will develop. The Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Baden-Württemberg does not expect large demand for the adapted preparations. “According to what we know, the latest virus variant does not appear to be expected to take any different course than before,” said the association.
The acting president of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), Lars Schaade, said that almost only viruses of the XBB sublineages are currently circulating in Germany. There is currently no international evidence that these variants are linked to more severe disease patterns. Lauterbach emphasized: “During the pandemic, we have all learned what it means to be considerate of one another.” He therefore assumes “that together we will manage to protect each other voluntarily.”
Nevertheless, the extent of the Corona wave in autumn and winter can hardly be predicted. In general, experts expect a heavy burden on the healthcare system due to the shortage of staff and the seasonal waves of infections with other pathogens such as flu or colds.