Stiko recommends corona boosters, preferably with adapted preparations
“Biden didn’t declare the corona pandemic in the USA over for nothing”
“The common good only has to be protected when it is in danger – that was not the case in the past,” says virologist Stöhr. In the WELT interview, he explains why there is currently no reason to intensify the corona measures.
The Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) is in favor of the preferred use of the new preparations adapted to the Omikron variant for Covid-19 booster vaccinations. It is not yet a final recommendation.
DThe Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) has recommended the new corona vaccines, which have been adapted to the Omicron variants, as a booster vaccination. The primary goal remains “the prevention of severe Covid 19 courses,” said the Stiko on Tuesday in Berlin. It is not yet a final recommendation.
According to the vaccination experts, more decisive than the choice of the specific vaccine is that people can be vaccinated at all and, in particular, can be boosted. The current mRNA vaccines can therefore continue to be used because they continue to protect against severe disease progression – including through omicron variants. People who have only recently received booster vaccinations should therefore not receive a separate new dose of one of the adapted vaccines.
The recommendation does not change anything for the target groups. The Stiko recommends a basic immunization and a booster vaccination, a so-called booster, for everyone over the age of twelve. Another booster vaccination should be given to people over the age of 60 and everyone over the age of five who has an underlying disease and is therefore at increased risk of severe Covid 19 courses. The same recommendation applies to anyone aged 12 and over with underlying medical conditions, staff in medical and nursing facilities, and nursing home residents.
Several subtypes at omicron
A week ago, the European Medicines Agency EMA approved a corona vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer, which is also effective against the omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5. Already at the beginning of September, vaccines from Biontech and Pfizer as well as Moderna against the omicron subvariant BA.1 were approved. The corona vaccines are aimed both at defending against the original form of the corona virus and at the new variants.
The vaccines that have now been adapted are not approved for basic immunization, i.e. for the first and second dose of vaccination. The vaccines used up until now will continue to be used for this.
The omicron variant in particular has now produced numerous subtypes that are overall more contagious than other virus variants. Omicron sublines such as BA.4 and BA.5 are also considered so-called escape variants – i.e. they can better bypass the immune response of vaccinated and recovered people.
In the past few months, the Stiko and Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had advised against waiting for the new vaccines. Shortly before the delivery of the first vaccine doses, Lauterbach also advised the adapted vaccines.
“Kick-off Politics” is WELT’s daily news podcast. The most important topic analyzed by WELT editors and the dates of the day. Subscribe to the podcast at Spotify, Apple Podcasts, Amazon Music or directly via RSS feed.