Read the video transcript here
Leonie, student:
»So I'm glad that I finally have the second vaccination behind me and will now have complete vaccination protection in two weeks. And yes, I am very happy. "
In the future, more and more patients who are younger than 16-year-old Leonie will be vaccinated.
The vaccine from Biontech and Pfizer has been approved across Europe for children and adolescents aged 12 and over since the end of May.
And the Stiko Standing Vaccination Commission now recommends vaccinating children and adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age.
However, only if they are particularly at risk from Covid-19 - or someone in their family.
Pediatrician Nadine MacGowan has been vaccinating adolescents aged 16 and over since April using the same principle.
Nadine MacGowan, pediatrician:
“Everyone who had a chronically ill sibling, that is, where there is a risk of someone getting infected at home, was vaccinated or those who have a chronic illness themselves, such as severe depression or epilepsy or asthma, they were vaccinated. And the others who just wanted to, so to speak, but had no indication, we haven't vaccinated them yet. "
On June 7th, the federal government canceled the prioritization in the vaccination campaign.
Theoretically, everyone over the age of 12 should now collect their dose from the vaccination center or from their family doctor.
But the nationwide vaccination of all 12 to 17 year olds is controversial.
Nadine MacGowan, pediatrician:
“I think it's actually pretty good for the moment, because unfortunately the vaccine has only been tested on very few children in this age group. That means we may not yet know anything about a rare side effect. "
The approval of the vaccine by the European Medicines Agency is based on a study in which around 1,100 children received the vaccine.
In the approval study from the age of 16, however, more than 20,000 test subjects received the vaccine.
The rush to Nadine MacGowan's practice is still great.
Ani Poghosyan, Medical Assistant:
“Yes, the phone rings all the time. (...) I think a lot of parents are calling all of Hamburg right now, the family doctors, the paediatricians, somehow to get a chance to get an appointment for vaccinations. You can tell. "
Even if she were to vaccinate all children and adolescents, MacGowan cannot even give all young risk patients and their relatives the hoped-for vaccination dose.
Nadine MacGowan, pediatrician:
“It would be more difficult, if only the vaccine was available, would not work at all. And at the moment we still have to make sure that we can carry out the second vaccination. That means, sometimes it really is like that, on Fridays we are told by the KV that we are only allowed to vaccinate very little during the week, that we are actually only allowed to order two vials, in addition to the second vaccinations that we have to carry out. And it is also difficult to get it done honestly from a personnel point of view, because we do it after the consultation hour, because otherwise we would not be able to do it at all. The vaccination is very complex. All of my employees work overtime for it. You wouldn't be able to do that, the rush to vaccinate everyone at the moment, it's still too time-consuming for that. "
And Nadine MacGowan finds detailed advice and clarification important.
Because the bottom line is that parents have to decide together with their children - and weigh up the risks and benefits.
Leonie's family also had to make this weighing up.
Leonie's nine-year-old brother suffers from cystic fibrosis, a metabolic disease that puts a lot of strain on the lungs.
Daniela W. / mother of Leonie:
“Because of my son's prioritization, because of his illness, we were one of the first to turn, luckily. But we were in the hospital for almost a month before Corona because of his illness. Corona was already difficult as an additional risk factor. We are grateful that Leonie came so quickly and is now through and that she has full vaccination protection even before the summer holidays. That's wonderful. "
The boy himself is not yet allowed to be vaccinated against Corona, the vaccine for his age group could be approved in autumn.