Jens Spahn received his booster vaccination - also to advertise the booster vaccination.
However, the minister is reaping some displeasure.
Key question: Is it Spahn's turn already?
Berlin - The outgoing Health Minister Jens Spahn had another vaccination against Corona - the CDU politician wanted to advertise the booster vaccination according to a tweet from the health department.
However, Spahn mainly left many observers with displeasure and unanswered questions.
Because the minister does not belong in several respects to the main target group to whom the so-called boosters are currently recommended.
In addition to many virologically motivated calls for a quick third vaccination in the summer, there were also warnings in the face of sluggish vaccination progress, for example in the global south.
Spahn vaccinated again against Corona: is the minister's turn already?
“I am promoting that many others do the same,” said Spahn, according to a ministry tweet, about his “booster” with the Biontech active ingredient. In fact, there is demand for the third prick in Germany: On Wednesday (October 27), a daily record was achieved with more than 100,000 booster vaccinations for the first time, as Spahn explained. According to the Robert Koch Institute there were 102,400 vaccine doses, so that 1.8 million people have now received a vaccination boost.
The majority of those vaccinated, however, are likely to have a different vaccination and corona history than Spahn - and a different physical constitution. A refresher at least six months after a full vaccination has been offered to older people (especially people over 70 years of age), risk groups, but also caregivers and vaccinated people with Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson since September.
A confusing bunch of formulations about booster vaccinations can be read on the federal government's Corona website. Booster vaccinations are "especially useful for groups of people who may experience a reduced or rapidly waning immune response after a full Covid-19 vaccination," says the Federal Center for Health Education. Can be read on the Federal website
zusammengegencorona.de
also but: "Even convalescents, who received a single injection of a vector vaccine, their vaccination can therefore increase accordingly" - falls into this category Spahn.
The rules are based on resolutions of the Conference of Health Ministers.
The apparently somewhat contradicting formulations are likely to be based on the discrepancy between what is officially
recommended
and what is officially
approved
: the Standing Vaccination Commission has at least not made an explicit vaccination recommendation for Spahn's group of those who have recovered once immunized by vector vaccine - unlike for Elderly, immunocompromised, caregivers or people who have been vaccinated with the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.
Spahn receives Corona Booster - and reaps incomprehension: "Welcome to the life of normal citizens"
Spahn is 41 years old and recovered from a corona infection almost exactly a year ago. In May, he said he was also immunized with the Astrazeneca vaccine, a vector vaccine. According to the information from the Federal Office, the minister's vaccination does not comply with any official rules.
Nevertheless, there was a lot of resentment boiling up on social media on Thursday.
The ministerial vaccination seems to go against the reality of life for many of those affected - apparently, advertising is hardly necessary, according to some.
Vaccination requests apparently remain unfulfilled at the moment.
“My mom, 66, with heart disease, originally priority 2, is rejected everywhere because 'Booster only from 70'.
Welcome to the life of normal citizens, Mr. Spahn, ”annoyed a commenter on Twitter.
“Funnily enough, my sister got a booster like Mr. Spahn on the same day.
Nine months after her 2nd vaccination.
She is immunosuppressed and has direct patient contact in a clinic, ”reported another user.
Corona vaccination: Virologists promote third-party vaccination - but there is also an ethical problem
Virologists generally agree that a third vaccination offers improved protection. "If you are vaccinated a third time, you have much better antibodies afterwards," said expert Christian Drosten in his NDR podcast in September: "It's absolutely great to get a booster vaccination." Drosten also referred to a " ethical "problem. He sees the situation in Africa from his own experience and asks himself: "What do we make clear about the third dose here if the first has not even been administered there?" The virologist justified the booster vaccinations in Germany primarily with regard to that comparatively old age of the population in this country.
The FDP expert for global health, the virologist Andrew Ullmann, had already referred a few weeks ago to the lack of efforts by the federal government to build up vaccine production in Africa and reprimanded plans for booster vaccinations.
In this way, “some would get two life jackets while others don't have a single one,” he explained in an interview with
Merkur.de
.
"From an epidemiological point of view, this is the wrong approach and negligent against the background of the national vaccine surplus."
The government, in turn, responded to a request from the Liberals by referring to a recommendation by the WHO.
This advocates third party vaccinations - for "vulnerable groups".
(
fn with material from dpa
)