Third dose for risk groups: booster vaccinations should come soon

Corona booster vaccinations could soon be available for particularly at-risk groups. Corresponding plans are to be decided on Monday at the conference of federal and state health ministers.

The Federal Ministry of Health proposes booster vaccinations with an mRNA vaccine as early as September for certain groups with a particular risk of corona infection. A corresponding draft resolution that the ARD capital studio is available, is to be adopted on Monday at the meeting of the federal and state health ministers.

“As part of preventive health care, the federal states will be offering a booster vaccination from September 2021 with mobile teams in care facilities, integration assistance facilities and other facilities with vulnerable groups,” says the template. People outside such facilities should be able to obtain third-party vaccinations through their general practitioners and specialists. In addition, all citizens who have already been fully vaccinated and who have been vaccinated with AstraZeneca or Johnson & Johnson will be offered a further vaccination with the vaccine from BioNTech.

The background: Initial study results indicated that certain groups could experience reduced or rapidly decreasing protection after vaccination. This refers to immunocompromised patients, very old people and those in need of care.

Vaccination offer also for children and adolescents

There are also plans to offer vaccinations for twelve to 17 year olds. With immediate effect, they should be able to receive the vaccines from BioNTech and Moderna in vaccination centers, but also through resident doctors and as part of the vaccination of relatives in companies. “For the group of young adults in universities, vocational schools and schools, the federal states are making structured, low-threshold offers at the respective learning locations,” says the draft resolution.

STIKO bypasses politics

The ministers are thus bypassing the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), which has not generally recommended vaccinations for young people up to now, but rather limited it to risk cases. However, she does not directly advise against vaccinations. Other authorities, such as the EU Medicines Agency EMA, have already approved the vaccines for young people – the political pressure on the STIKO is correspondingly high. The federal and state governments also justify their approach by stating that vaccinating children and young people “can make a significant contribution to a safer start to teaching and learning after the summer vacation”.

The rate of first vaccinations in Germany is currently around 62 percent of the population, and a good 52 percent are fully vaccinated. Among the under 18-year-olds, around 20 percent received at least one vaccination and almost ten percent had complete vaccination protection.