During the coronavirus pandemic, the Standing Commission on Vaccinations (STIKO) is increasingly criticized by German society.
STIKO was founded in 1972 as an independent committee of experts at the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). The aim of the commission was to provide recommendations on the necessary vaccinations in Germany. It currently has 18 volunteer experts who are reappointed every three years. They come from many different fields of science, health care, and general practice. Ten of them are currently on the COVID-19 Vaccine Working Group.
STIKO’s recommendations are always very contradictory. There is criticism both for substantive decisions and for the pace of work. More recently, the commission recommended coronavirus vaccination for children with chronic diseases and those who come into contact with people at risk. This caused a wave of indignation. By comparison, in the United States, all children between the ages of five and twelve have been vaccinated since early November. In Israel – from mid-November. The European Medicines Agency (Ema) also recommended approval of the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine for children in this age group at the end of November. However, STIKO’s recommendation regarding this process was followed only after a few weeks. And then with amendments.
The Germans are also unhappy with STIKO’s response to revaccination against the disease. First, the commission recommended it to the elderly, and then to everyone else. In both cases, as citizens note, there were delays. Again, other countries are considered for comparison. In Israel, revaccination was offered to people over 60 years old already at the end of July, from September – to all people over 12 years old. In Germany, the recommendation for the third vaccination was received only at the beginning of October.
“When developing recommendations for vaccination, the panel primarily evaluates the risks and benefits. In addition to the individual benefit to the vaccinated person, the benefit of vaccination is considered in the context of the entire population. It should be obvious and should in some cases eradicate disease, ”the RKI report says.
Germany says this:
Pediatricians in Germany recommend not rushing to get vaccinated
Where school holidays start earlier
.