Be well protected against the virus.
This is what people who get vaccinated against Covid-19 promise themselves.
Two pricks are not enough for many.
Who should get the third dose?
Dortmund / Berlin - The number of corona infections is increasing, which increases the risk of infection.
This also applies to many people who have already been vaccinated.
Especially people with a higher risk of disease should therefore think about booster vaccinations and pick up the prick as soon as possible in order to get better protected through autumn and winter.
The corresponding appeals from doctors and politicians are directed primarily towards older people and people with immunodeficiency - but not only.
We give an overview:
What good is a booster vaccination against Corona?
It strengthens the immune system again against the Sars-CoV-2 virus.
For this purpose, fully vaccinated people receive another dose of an approved Covid-19 vaccine.
One also speaks of a "booster".
The term comes from English and can be translated, for example, as "amplifier".
Who should get a “booster” peep and why?
From an immunological point of view and when looking at the data, the booster makes sense for all vaccinated persons after around six months, because the protective effect is increased again.
For some groups of people, however, the renewed prick is particularly advisable.
People with a severely weakened immune system, for example as a result of chemotherapy or a congenital immune deficiency, sometimes do not react at all or not properly to the vaccination.
They should be vaccinated again as early as 28 days after the second vaccination, advises immunologist Prof. Carsten Watzl.
"Because then it is not a refresher, but primarily serves to establish vaccination protection in the first place," explains the Secretary General of the German Society for Immunology.
An antibody test can provide you with some clarity about whether and how the vaccination worked.
Another group that is in focus are the very old.
In their case, the immune protection against the virus built up by the vaccination is often not as high as in younger people and decreases over time, writes the Robert Koch Institute (RKI).
Consequence: There are more breakthroughs in vaccinations and more serious illnesses are occurring among the elderly.
Watzl particularly focuses on people in care facilities.
"Since these are the people with the highest risk of severe disease, it is important to protect them particularly well."
Who does the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommend the booster?
- People aged 70 and over - Residents and carers in care facilities for old people (due to the increased outbreak potential here also for people under 70) - Nursing staff who have direct contact with old people or other people with an increased risk of severe Covid 19 courses - People in medical Institutions with patient contact - people with weakened immune systems
As a rule, you should be offered a booster vaccination at the earliest six months after the basic immunization, according to the RKI.
Anyone who was vaccinated against Corona for the last time around the end of April could now make an effort.
Only mRNA vaccines (for example from Biontech) are used for refreshment.
Who can still get a refresher?
It can be offered to people aged 60 and over after medical advice, as decided by the federal and state health ministers.
Even those who have been vaccinated with a so-called vector vaccine from Astrazeneca or Johnson & Johnson can get a booster with an mRNA vaccine (Biontech, Moderna).
also read
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Age alone is therefore not a reason for a booster.
Stiko: No general booster recommendation for seniors
Stiko boss Mertens: pressure because of child vaccination is "absurd"
From the perspective of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), a possible vaccination recommendation for children under the age of 12 is even more difficult than that for 12 to 17 year olds.
No child under 17 died in Germany exclusively from Covid-19, said Stiko chairman Thomas Mertens of the “Stuttgarter Zeitung” and the “Stuttgarter Nachrichten” (Thursday).
Because the burden of disease in 12 to 17 year olds was so low, the decision to vaccinate was so difficult in the balance of benefits and harm.
Stiko boss Mertens: pressure because of child vaccination is "absurd"
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A study from the USA offers answers.
Corona third-party vaccination: How does the body react?
According to the RKI, anyone who has been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine does not have to wait six months to receive the booster - it can be offered to these people after just four weeks.
And all the others?
The Vaccination Ordinance provides for the possibility of booster vaccinations for everyone for whom there are approved vaccines.
Only the vaccination intervals recommended by Stiko must be observed - this is prescribed by the vaccination ordinance.
Apart from the exceptions already mentioned, this is usually six months.
The Managing Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) made it clear again on Friday morning on the rbb Inforadio: For everyone else, a refresher is also possible.
"We have more than enough vaccine."
However, it can happen that doctors point out that they first refresh the groups of people at risk.
So patience and understanding are required here.
And how do you get an appointment?
The first point of contact is the family doctor.
If you are stuck there or have no permanent family doctor practice, you can, for example, call the free hotline 116 117 of the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians and ask for appointments.
Another point of contact is the portal "zusammengegencorona.de" operated by the Federal Ministry of Health.
There is, for example, an interactive map of Germany with links, telephone numbers and specific vaccination offers.
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The third sticker in the vaccination book: A booster vaccination strengthens the protection against the Sars-CoV-2 virus.
© Wolfgang Kumm / dpa / dpa-tmn
Is it bad if you wait too long to refresh?
Carsten Watzl says: The approximately six months interval after the second vaccination is a guideline for people without an immune deficiency.
From an immunological point of view, everything between four and eight months is “probably okay”.
Whether you get infected depends not only on how good the immune protection is, according to the expert, but also on how much you are exposed to the virus.
"Therefore, the risk of infection currently goes up when the incidence increases." Dpa
