The effect of a corona vaccination begins to wear off after six months.
Older people are particularly affected.
Berlin - In view of the high number of infections, booster vaccinations are now considered the method of choice.
Because the vaccination protection, which the majority of people in Germany has, diminishes over time.
However, it is still disputed whether the booster - i.e. the refreshing of the vaccination with another syringe - should initially be limited to people who are particularly at risk, or whether everyone should be considered for it now.
Booster vaccination: who is the booster recommended for?
According to the Vaccination Ordinance, everyone has the right to a booster, but the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has so far only recommended boosting to people aged 70 and over, including residents and employees in homes.
And the experts advise after vaccination with the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson - here only one dose is provided - for a rapid booster already after four weeks.
The reason given by Stiko is the “comparatively low vaccine effectiveness” of the preparation compared to the Delta variant.
Stiko is currently reviewing the current studies and intends to present a revised recommendation in the coming weeks.
The Conference of Health Ministers (GMK) recommends the booster vaccination for people aged 60 and over - after careful consideration and medical advice.
Residents and employees in old people's and nursing homes are also advised to do so.
According to the GMK, boosting should also be considered for medical staff - outpatient and inpatient.
After all, people with an immune deficiency are advised to use boosters.
Corona booster vaccination: when and with which vaccine?
Boosting with an mRNA vaccine six months after achieving full vaccination protection is consistently recommended.
This is usually achieved after the second dose.
Most people in Germany are therefore not yet in line.
How many people in Germany have already been boosted?
So far, just over two million people in Germany have received the refresher - in the opinion of experts, far too little.
The immunologist Leif Erik Sander calculates that around 30 million people urgently need the booster vaccination - including people over 70, seriously ill people, patients with immunodeficiency and health care workers.
Boosters: What scientific findings are there?
According to Sander, the effect of the vaccine wears off after around six months; older people are particularly affected by this effect.
Neutralizing antibodies could no longer be detected in 40 percent of people over 70.
A study in Israel, which is also a pioneer in boosting, shows that the boosters are effective. According to reports, the researchers found that people over the age of 60 who received only two doses had ten times more infections than those in this age group who received the booster vaccine. In addition, those who had been vaccinated twice were 20 times more likely to develop severe disease than those who had been vaccinated three times.
According to the company, a study by the vaccine manufacturer Biontech / Pfizer also shows that the third dose was highly effective: it was able to restore the high level of vaccination protection that was achieved after the second dose and showed a relative vaccine effectiveness of 95.6 percent - significantly more than with study participants without a booster vaccination.
Corona: who should do the booster vaccinations?
Doctors' practices are particularly suitable: According to the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians, they could administer 3.5 million doses per week.
In addition, there are still existing vaccination centers: There are still two of them in Berlin.
In the summer there were six, but they still play an important role in the vaccinations in the capital: In these and the mobile vaccination stations, over 40 percent of the vaccinations in Berlin are carried out.
Health Minister Jens Spahn (CDU) has spoken out in favor of reopening further centers, but has received little support from the federal states.
(AFP / frs)
