The Standing Vaccination Commission has issued its recommendation for pregnant and breastfeeding women: It also recommends a corona vaccination for them.
Munich / Berlin - Now pregnant and breastfeeding women are also vaccinated: The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) now recommends a corona vaccination for these two groups as well.
According to a draft decision by Stiko, pregnant women who have not been vaccinated from the second trimester of pregnancy and breastfeeding women should protect themselves with two doses of an mRNA vaccine, as the Robert Koch Institute announced on Friday in Berlin.
So far, the Stiko had not recommended general vaccination during pregnancy.
There have already been vaccination recommendations for pregnant women abroad - Germany is following suit
The assessment of the Stiko was requested from many sides.
The head of the Stuttgart Ministry of Social Affairs, Uwe Lahl, wrote in a letter to Stiko chairman Thomas Mertens that the lack of a recommendation “leads to uncertainty among the medical profession, but also among pregnant women themselves”.
These "are reinforced by the fact that other committees and specialist societies at home and abroad are now clearly in favor of vaccinating pregnant women", quoted the "Heilbronn Voice" and the "Südkurier" (Wednesday) from the letter.
So now there is a clear recommendation for Germany as well.
Lahl cited estimates from intensive care physicians, according to which around five percent of corona patients treated in intensive care units are pregnant women.
Last Monday, 172 Covid-19 cases were treated in the Southwest Intensive Care Units.
"We are also seeing that the fourth wave is currently picking up speed, especially in the young age groups, and that more and more young patients, including increasingly pregnant women, have to be treated in intensive care units."
Higher risks for pregnant corona patients - for mother and child
According to Lahl, there is a six-fold higher risk of intensive medical treatment in the case of a Covid-19 infection during pregnancy compared to non-pregnant women - and a 26-fold higher mortality of pregnant women with Covid-19 compared to non-pregnant women in the same Age.
Babies of women infected with corona during pregnancy would also have to be treated three times more often in an intensive care unit.
(cg with dpa)
There is still no approved vaccine for children under the age of twelve - but Biontech wants to change that as soon as possible. The product should probably be tested in the coming weeks.
