Is it advisable to vaccinate twelve to 17-year-olds against Corona?
Politicians, researchers and paediatricians argue - an overview of the state of the debate.
Munich - Maximum uncertainty for parents and their children!
The federal government and the state heads want to decide on vaccinations * for children and adolescents from the age of twelve at the health ministers' conference on Monday.
And that although the Standing Vaccination Commission still does not recommend a general vaccination of twelve to 17-year-olds.
The
tz
explains the fight over child vaccination.
Corona vaccination: why is the government putting such pressure on vaccinating children?
There are two reasons for this: the return to normal school lessons and the achievement of herd immunity.
The student vaccinations could "significantly contribute to a safer start to teaching and learning after the summer vacation", says the conference draft.
Vaccinate children against corona: what do the expert committees say?
They contradict each other. Stiko does not recommend vaccination for twelve to 17 year olds in general, but only for children and adolescents with certain pre-existing conditions such as obesity, diabetes and chronic lung diseases. The European Medicines Agency EMA has already approved the vaccines from Biontech / Pfizer * and Moderna * for 12 to 17 year olds. With the consent of their parents, children and adolescents can therefore already be vaccinated.
And on Friday, the Saxon Vaccination Commission, which is the only vaccination commission of this type at state level in Germany, also contradicted the Federal Stiko: The Saxons recommend vaccinations * from twelve because of the "extremely dynamic development of the coronavirus pandemic" and because of new studies: In the general vaccination recommendation for children and adolescents between twelve and 15 years of age was taken into account by data from the USA * and Israel *, for example on possible myocarditis in connection with vaccinations.
"The benefit clearly outweighs the risk" of possible side effects.
This is the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko)
The 18 members of the Stiko work on a voluntary basis - but this does not mean that they are not “professionals”, as CSU boss Markus Söder assumed in his attack on the committee.
Several members of the Stiko come from Bavaria, such as Rüdiger von Kries, head of the epidemiology department at the University of Munich.
The body at the Robert Koch Institute is headed by Thomas Mertens, a virologist at the University of Ulm.
All Stiko members must disclose their connections to pharmaceutical companies before meetings.
They are not allowed to participate in the event of a conflict of interest.
Corona vaccination for children: what do other experts recommend?
Prof. Peter Kremsner, infectiologist and head of the Curevac vaccine study, explained to Lanz on ZDF: “You don't have to vaccinate children for individual protection - unless they are pre-ill.
After vaccination with Biontech, almost one hundred percent of the young people had side effects, with a Covid-19 infection most of the young people have no symptoms at all. ”The only reason to vaccinate under 16-year-olds is the goal of herd immunity.
"I'm hoping for vaccines that are a little more tolerable," said Kremsner.
What is the attitude of paediatricians?
"We expect the Stiko to express itself again and as soon as possible," said the president of the professional association of paediatricians, Thomas Fischbach of the
Ärzte Zeitung
.
"Parents need a clear perspective on what happens next and if they should have their child vaccinated," he added.
Fischbach referred to the Corona advisor to the Israeli government and head of the largest children's clinic in the country Itai Pessach.
He had "emphasized that the approved vaccines for children aged 12 and over are safe and well tolerated".
Corona vaccination from the age of twelve: is Stiko giving in to pressure from politics?
So far no.
Stiko member Martin Terhardt reiterated the position of the expert commission, according to which the data situation is still too thin to generally recommend a corona vaccination from the age of twelve.
He expressed criticism of the sometimes massive pressure from politics on the vaccination commission.
"That anger us, it outrages us, it devalues us and it damages the trust of the Standing Vaccination Commission, and I think that is a gross mistake." severe Covid 19 disease is low for this age group.
Where should the students be vaccinated?
All countries should offer vaccinations for twelve to 17-year-olds in the vaccination centers, according to the Ministry of Health. Resident doctors and company doctors who vaccinated relatives could also be involved. In some countries, vaccination campaigns are already planned in schools, for example. With our brand new politics newsletter you will always be informed about national and international political events
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