Status: 02.11.2021 07:00 a.m.
Booster for everyone? Or only for risk groups at first? Now or in months? When it comes to booster vaccinations, there are many unanswered questions. STIKO boss Mertens has now given an approximate date for a recommendation.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) wants to decide “in a few weeks” whether it will recommend booster vaccinations for everyone. There are data from international studies that speak for it, says chairman Thomas Mertens of the Funke media group. It should be checked to what extent these results can be transferred to Germany.
The STIKO was currently dealing in detail with the question. With such a general recommendation, the crucial question is whether this could slow down the spread of the virus.
Risk groups first
On Monday evening, Mertens said on ZDF that it was first and foremost very important to vaccinate the people who had the highest risk for the third time: “These are the old people over 70. These are the people who have a disturbed immune system ( …), and ultimately these are also people with certain previous illnesses. ” It is “impractical” to demand that the entire population should now receive a third vaccination in one fell swoop.
Mertens wants to talk to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in Berlin today about the procedure for the Corona crisis in winter.
The chairman of the board of directors of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, calls for the widest possible use of booster vaccinations. A new, central vaccination campaign is needed, which is not only aimed at the unvaccinated, “but also advertises general booster vaccinations”.
Cities also criticize Spahn’s vaccination center idea
Meanwhile, the cities also criticized the debate initiated by Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) about reactivating vaccination centers for booster vaccinations at short notice. A vaccination center is “not a flashlight” that can be switched off and on again depending on the mood, according to a letter from the German Association of Cities to the health ministers of the federal states, which is available to the dpa news agency. Structures have been changed, areas have been used for other purposes, and staff have been redeployed.
Several countries had yesterday, among other things at the request of tagesschau.de reacts critically to Spahn’s advance. However, there is still criticism of the slow vaccination rate in the network of medical practices.
The federal and state governments had agreed to close the more than 400 regional vaccination centers set up at the start of vaccination by September 30th or to reduce capacities.
The STIKO currently recommends a Corona booster vaccination for all people aged 70 and over as soon as the last one was more than six months ago. This recommendation also applies to anyone vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine. The health ministers also consider booster vaccinations to be useful for all over-60s. In principle, according to the vaccination ordinance, they are also possible for all other people.