Cured status shortened: "The children are again the Gelackmeeten"

Created: 01/22/2022, 16:31

By: Stefan Weinzierl

The pressure is increasing to have their own children vaccinated.

Especially after the RKI shortened the recovered status.

(Iconic image) © Daniel Reinhardt/dpa

The RKI has shortened the recovered status.

A decision that increases the pressure on parents to have their offspring vaccinated.

District

– The shortening of the convalescent status from six to three months by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) causes a lot of excitement: Many citizens – also in the district – are subject to new rules from one day to the next, because the new regulation applies also retrospectively, there is no transitional regulation for those who have already recovered.

Affected people whose recovered status was suddenly revoked and who do not yet have full vaccination protection now have to worry about the holiday they booked because they may have to go into quarantine.

Tickets to the museum, cinema or theater are in danger of being forfeited because according to the applicable rules, access is only granted to those who have been vaccinated and those who have recovered.

parents worried

Parents are also unsure who, after their children have been infected with SARS-CoV-2, now have to decide much more quickly whether to have them vaccinated in order to avoid restrictions in social life. Especially since the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has not yet recommended vaccination under the age of twelve unless they have any previous illnesses. The RKI website even states explicitly: "Children without previous illnesses who have already undergone a laboratory-diagnosed SARS-CoV-2 infection should not be vaccinated for the time being."

When Merkur asked whether the RKI could understand that parents had concerns about having their children vaccinated when they read the recommendation on the website for non-vaccination, the institute spokeswoman Susanne Glasmacher only said: “Because of that The RKI does not have any data.” The information that numerous paediatricians vaccinate children who have survived an infection at the earliest after six months is commented on by the press spokeswoman with the words: “The RKI generally does not comment on the activities of paediatricians and also has no tasks in this area the implementation of the vaccination.”

Experts refer to Stiko recommendation

So what should parents of affected children do now?

Gerhard Schmid, head of the health department in the Munich district office, does not give the parents any specific advice, but refers to the recommendations of the Stiko and the approval conditions of the respective vaccine: "In this context, the vaccination of the individual child should always be based on an individual benefit/ risk analysis.

In the event of a deviation from Stiko recommendations, we urgently recommend a particularly thorough diagnosis, clarification and appropriate documentation.

It is very difficult to make generalizing statements about individual constellations in children who have recovered from a Covid infection.”

The demand from pediatricians in the district also shows how sensitive the topic is.

Only a few want to express themselves, and if they do, then mostly only anonymously.

"The children are once again the ones who are being fooled," says a pediatrician from the southern district, referring to the restrictions since the beginning of the pandemic, which have hit children and young people particularly hard.

Regarding the RKI decision to shorten the convalescent status, she only says this much: “The well-being of the individual child is not the focus of the decisions.

I can understand if parents are worried.

There is increasing pressure on them to have their children vaccinated, even though that is usually not necessary.”

“Everything is subordinated to the goal of winning the pandemic”

"Everything is subordinated to the goal of winning the pandemic," comments a colleague from the eastern district of the development. She has only vaccinated children who have recovered so far after six months at the earliest, but will not refuse to develop and will now vaccinate earlier.

dr

Mark Rosenthal points out that the decision of parents to have their children vaccinated is currently not usually determined by medical aspects, but by the restrictions that their children have as a result of the applicable regulations.

"Unfortunately, that's the reality," says the pediatrician from Unterschleißheim.

Only in rare cases are there severe courses of a SARS-CoV-2 infection in children under the age of twelve.

Because the vaccination is not absolutely necessary, the Stiko has not made any general vaccination recommendations for this age group, apart from children with previous illnesses.

How long does the protective effect last?

Rosenthal can understand the decision of colleagues to vaccinate recovered children after six months at the earliest.

He assumes that the protective effect after an infection has been overcome in children - especially if they had symptoms such as fever - may even be higher than if the child is vaccinated.

"However, one does not know exactly how long this protective effect lasts," he points out.

It could also be that the likelihood of contracting Long-Covid is lower if the children are vaccinated.

In his opinion, there is no reason why parents should be afraid of having their children vaccinated earlier.

"The vaccination is very safe," he emphasizes, and advises parents to obtain comprehensive information: "A good source of information is the website of the German Society for Pediatric Infectious Diseases."

We provide information about all developments relating to the corona virus in the district of Munich in our news ticker.