Corona vaccination has been available in the EU since the end of December 2020.
To make an informed decision for or against it, you should know the following facts.
In Germany alone, over 1.3 million people have contracted Covid-19 and more than 22,000 people have died from it.
Worldwide, the Johns Hopkins Coronavirus Resource Center has recorded 87,323,709 coronavirus infections and 1,885,869 deaths (as of January 7, 2021).
Corona vaccinations are intended to contain the pandemic and thus restore normalcy to everyday life.
So far, two vaccines have been approved in Germany: a preparation from the manufacturer Biontech with Pfizer and a vaccine from the US company Moderna.
The decision to have a corona vaccination is voluntary and has many advantages.
However, side effects were also observed - which can, however, also occur with other vaccinations.
There are not enough vaccine doses for everyone who wants to get vaccinated against corona.
Accordingly, the federal government has issued a corona vaccination ordinance that specifies a vaccination sequence *.
First of all, those who have the highest risk of a severe course of the disease and people who are exposed to a high risk of infection should be vaccinated.
Residents over 80 years of age and also nursing staff fall into the group with "highest priority".
This circle is gradually being expanded - depending on how much vaccine is available to the countries.
Health Minister Spahn said in an interview with ZDF that there should be a corona vaccination offer for all Germans by summer.
An argument in favor of a vaccination is that on the one hand it offers protection against severe corona disease.
On the other hand, it helps to contain the pandemic.
According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the herd immunity effect should set in when around 70 percent of the population opts for a vaccination
, as reported by the editorial network in Germany.
As a result, lockdowns and other restrictions - economic and personal - would be a thing of the past.
But vaccination - like taking medication or other medical therapies - can also have side effects, as experience reports show.
So it is important to weigh up: Do the advantages or disadvantages of a corona vaccination predominate?
The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) as the Federal Institute for Infectious Diseases and Non-Communicable Diseases is in favor of vaccination.
"The vaccination creates relevant population immunity and greatly reduces the risk of severe Covid-19 diseases," says the RKI website.
Corona vaccination for and against: What are the advantages of corona immunization?
The corona vaccination itself is considered safe, tolerable and effective.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the fact that the quality requirements in the European approval process are very high speaks in favor of vaccination.
As the Federal Ministry of Health further informs, the vaccines previously approved in Germany from Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna have successfully passed the clinical studies in three phases.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, the clinical phase III in particular was very broad
.
Several thousand to tens of thousands of volunteers are vaccinated in this phase and the study leaders research whether the vaccine protects against infection and what possible side effects occur.
As with any vaccination, according to the RKI, vaccination reactions and side effects cannot be completely ruled out with the new vaccines against Covid-19.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has analyzed the Biontech / Pfizer vaccine, which has been vaccinated in Germany since the end of December, with regard to side effects
.
It compared the frequency of vaccination reactions and side effects that occurred within 14 weeks of receiving the Biontech vaccine with a placebo group that was “vaccinated” with saline.
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Overview of possible side effects of the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer
The following side effects and vaccination reactions are possible if you get vaccinated against corona.
In the vast majority of cases, however, the physical symptoms indicate a harmless reaction of the body to the immunization.
Local reactions
: 83 percent of those vaccinated report pain at the injection site, six percent report reddening and six percent also report swelling at the site.
Local reactions were less common among those over 55.
Systemic reactions
: After the first corona vaccination, 47 percent of those vaccinated complained of fatigue, 42 percent of headaches and 21 percent of muscle pain.
After the second vaccination dose, these reactions occur as often as the Stiko informs.
An interesting observation: where 47 percent of the people vaccinated with the Biontech active ingredient complained of fatigue, 33 percent of the people who were vaccinated with the ineffective placebo also reported fatigue.
42 percent of those vaccinated with the active ingredient and 34 percent of those vaccinated with placebo complained of headaches.
Serious adverse events:
Stiko reports on four cases with serious damage from the corona vaccination with the Biontech Pfizer active ingredient.
A shoulder injury, axillary lymphadenopathy, paroxysmal ventricular arrhythmia and paresthesia of the right leg have all been attributed to the vaccination.
“Neither in the verum nor in the placebo group there were deaths that could be traced back to the injection of the vaccine or the saline solution,” it says on the website of the RKI.
(jg)
*
Merkur.de is part of the nationwide Ippen-Digital editorial network.
Survey on the subject of corona vaccination
More sources: https://coronavirus.jhu.edu/map.html;
https://www.aerztezeitung.de/Ppolitik/Comirnaty-kom-die-Zulassung-fuer-die-sechste-Impfdosis-415946.html
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