Moderna and Biontech: which vaccines Stiko recommends for boosters

Created: 2022-01-20Updated: 2022-01-20 2:48 p.m

By: Verena Moeckl

For optimal immunization, Stiko recommends a booster vaccination.

You have to keep this in mind with Moderna and Biontech.

And these side effects can come your way. 

Munich - All good things come in threes.

This also applies to protection against the corona virus.

Because after three vaccinations you are considered boosted and therefore prepared for a severe course of Covid-19.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), almost half of the population has already received their booster vaccination (48.9 percent, as of January 20, 2022).

Is there such a thing as a right time for his booster?

Which vaccine is suitable for whom?

And what about side effects after a third injection?

We have the answers.

Booster vaccination against the corona virus: Moderna or Biontech?

The Standing Vaccination Commission currently recommends an mRNA vaccine for the booster vaccination, i.e. generally the active ingredient from Moderna or Biontech.

Both vaccines from Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer are equivalent, emphasizes the President of the Paul Ehrlich Institute, Klaus Cichutek.

According to the RKI, it does not matter which vaccine was used for the primary immunization, i.e. the first two injections, when choosing the booster vaccine.

The decisive factor is the age of the booster willing.

For people under the age of 30, Stiko recommends the Biontech vaccine.

In rare cases, a few young adults have developed inflammation of the heart muscle or pericardium after taking a Moderna booster.

According to Stiko, anyone over the age of 30 can safely be vaccinated with both Biontech and Moderna.

Booster vaccination with Moderna and Biontech: who should receive boosters and when?

The Stiko recommends a booster shot for everyone over the age of 18.

The Standing Vaccination Commission actually planned an interval of six months between the second and third vaccination, but due to the highly contagious coronavirus mutation Omicron, the Stiko has adjusted its recommendation.

Now people should be able to get boosters with Moderna and Biontech after just three months.

According to Stiko, anyone under the age of 30 should only be boosted with Biontech.

(Iconic image) © Jan Woitas/dpa

"The aim of the booster vaccination is to maintain individual protection and to reduce the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in the population," says Stiko in its letter on the 16th update of the COVID-19 vaccination recommendation.

"Both contribute to preventing serious illnesses and deaths and thus to relieving the health system in Germany during the current and possible subsequent waves of infection." 

International studies suggest that the vaccination protection of the booster vaccination begins after about seven to 12 days, writes the federal government on its website.

Special case Johnson & Johnson: An overview in the booster chaos

With the vector vaccine Johnson & Johnson, things are more complicated.

For a brief overview of the booster chaos for Johnson & Johnson vaccinates, watch the video below.

Moderna and Biontech: What side effects can occur after a booster vaccination?

There are always reports of side effects from vaccinations circulating on social media, which are causing uncertainty among the population.

In Würzburg, friends advised an abscess patient against vaccination because they feared side effects - a fatal mistake.

The RKI has classified the vaccines approved in Europe as safe.

So people do not need to worry about serious side effects with the first, second or third vaccination.

Symptoms can occur after vaccination, but these are usually harmless and indicate that the body is producing antibodies.

Side effects usually occur within two days of vaccination and rarely last longer than a day or two, according to the Paul Ehrlich Institute.

“The studies available so far have shown that the third vaccination does not lead to an increase in side effects.

They are in the same range as after the second vaccination," said Stiko member Christian Bogdan.

Nine out of ten people did not experience any side effects after the vaccination. 

Moderna and Biontech: Are there long-term consequences after vaccination against the corona virus?

It is one of the most important arguments of anti-vaccination: unexplored long-term effects.

For some skeptics, this basic belief is still stubborn: Because the vaccines against the corona virus are very new, the long-term side effects have not yet been sufficiently investigated.

But this assumption is wrong.

On the one hand, because the vaccines are examined very carefully.

“The COVID-19 vaccines have been given to many people around the world in a very short time.

Therefore, very rare side effects can be recognized and assessed faster than usual,” explains Stiko.

In Germany alone there have been over 160 million doses of vaccine so far.

On the other hand, because there are generally no unexplored long-term effects after vaccinations.

All symptoms that can be traced back to a vaccination appear a few hours, days and weeks after the vaccination.

According to Stiko, "Side effects that occur unexpectedly and only a long time (about several years) after vaccination have not yet been observed with any vaccination".

The fear of long-term consequences after vaccination is therefore unfounded.

risk assessment

According to experts, the risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19 and being ventilated in the intensive care unit is significantly higher than the risk of a serious physical side effect of the vaccination.

In order to relieve the staff in the hospitals, to protect their fellow human beings and themselves, we all have only one thing to do: roll up our sleeves.

Once, twice and one more time, because, as is well known, all good things come in threes.

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