Problems with the Corona warning app: Two groups in particular are affected - the federal government needs to take action

Created: 01/18/2022, 10:15 p.m

By: Felix Durach

The Corona warning app apparently has problems displaying the status of boosted people correctly if they have received an initial vaccination with Johnson & Johnson.

© Bernd Weißbrod/dpa

Citizens who received a booster after an initial vaccination with Johnson & Johnson complain about problems with the Corona warning app.

There is a need for action.

Berlin – Anyone who receives a booster vaccination against the corona virus in Germany can use the Corona-Warn-App to prove complete vaccination protection including boosters in addition to the yellow vaccination certificate.

A total of three vaccination certificates received after the vaccinations must then be uploaded there in order to receive proof of a boosted person.

Corona warning app: problems after booster vaccinations - these groups are affected

However, this process is now causing resentment in parts of the population. Because those who have received an initial vaccination with the vaccine from the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson and have then been boosted with one of the currently approved mRNA vaccines cannot currently prove their status via the app. The basic problem is that with Johnson&Johnson vaccinations, only one dose was needed to obtain a basic immunity. Two doses each were required for the other vaccines from AstraZeneca, Biontech and Moderna approved in Germany.

Since Johnson&Johnson recipients only received two vaccination certificates after a successful booster vaccination, their status cannot be displayed correctly in the app.

A similar problem exists for people who only received one vaccination dose after surviving a corona infection and have now had boosters.

Corona virus: problems with the warning app - Laumann calls on the federal government to act

North Rhine-Westphalia's Health Minister Karl-Josef Laumann (CDU) has now asked the federal government to adapt the Corona warning app so that the vaccination status of the users can be seen at a glance. "I can't solve that with state law," the CDU politician told RTL. The Federal Ministry of Health, which is responsible for the Corona warning app, states that it is currently being implemented. Then certificates should also be provided, with which the special cases listed can prove their status in accordance with the new form of representation.

For app users in Bavaria, however, the problem does not arise after vaccination with Johnson & Johnson.

The state government in Munich is the only state so far to follow the recommendation of the Stiko, according to which citizens who have received an initial vaccination with Johnson & Johnson must receive two vaccinations with an mRNA vaccine so that they are considered boosted.

Other federal states could follow in the near future and also follow the Stiko recommendations.

A uniform decision by the Federal Ministry of Health is currently still pending.

(