What the Stiko says about the new corona vaccine preparations

Created: 2022-09-20Updated: 2022-09-20 17:06

In a decision, the Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) has decided in favor of a corona booster vaccination with adapted preparations in certain cases.

© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa

It's getting colder outside.

This should give respiratory pathogens a boost, including Corona.

The Standing Vaccination Commission is now providing more clarity on who should use new Omikron vaccines.

Berlin - After the approval of vaccines adapted to the Omicron variant, the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) is in favor of their preferred use for booster vaccinations.

However, the committee is sticking to the previous line of only recommending second Covid 19 boosters to certain groups, such as people over 60 years of age.

This emerges from a Stiko message on a draft decision.

Changes to this are still possible.

Immunohealthy people under the age of 60 with three vaccinations usually do not need the fourth vaccination initially, said Stiko member Christian Bogdan.

In the past few weeks, several advanced corona vaccines have been approved in the European Union.

They take into account the omicron variant that has been dominant for months.

It can be used in people aged 12 and over as a booster vaccination.

It is about preparations adapted to the BA.1 subline and a somewhat newer BA.4/BA.5 vaccine.

In addition to Omikron, the new vaccines also take into account the original corona virus.

Which preparation is suitable

The Stiko did not respond to the frequent question as to which of these new preparations those who would like to be vaccinated should take: The draft decision refers to both the BA.1 and the BA.4/BA.5 vaccine.

Both elicited an improved antibody response to different omicron variants compared to previous mRNA vaccines, they said.

In addition, there were consistently good answers to the variant from the early phase of the pandemic.

It is crucial that people get vaccinated at all and, in particular, follow the recommendations for refresher.

The previous vaccines could also be used.

Avoiding serious illness, hospitalization and death are the goals of the recommendation, Bogdan stressed.

However, it is not realistic to assume that all harmless infections can be avoided.

Nor is it about reducing incidences.

In the meantime, a situation has been reached in which “a very good basic immunity in the population” exists.

The virus cannot be eliminated from Germany even with the adapted vaccines, said the Stiko member.

Infection situation little changed

The advice from experts is to use available preparations if a booster is due and not to postpone the step in view of a supposedly better, newer vaccine.

Otherwise you run the risk of getting sick in the meantime.

also read

Psyche: 10 qualities that mentally healthy people bring with them

Lose weight: drink lemon water – the time of day is crucial

One argument in favor of the BA.1 vaccine, for example, is that it already covers the big leap in virus development since the original variant.

Since BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5 are comparatively closely related, there are only small differences between these two preparations.

There is also less data on the BA.4/BA.5 vaccine.

According to the expert panel, people in particular who have not been infected with corona since the end of 2021 as part of the Omicron wave should benefit from a refresher with an advanced vaccine.

However, anyone who has recently received a booster vaccination with the conventional preparations in accordance with the previous recommendation does not need “a separate extra vaccination dose with an adapted vaccine”.

Who should get a second refresher

The groups for which Stiko has long recommended a second booster (fourth dose) include people aged 60 and over, as well as risk patients such as immunocompromised people aged 12 and over, nursing home residents and health and care workers.

A gap of six months from the previous vaccination or infection is generally recommended.

The Omikron preparations are not approved for the basic immunization, i.e. the first two vaccination doses.

dpa