Confusion about booster vaccination: When am I really considered to be boosted?

Created: 2022-01-27 09:56

By: Tom Offinger

The booster vaccinations are in full swing in Germany.

Yet, in all the chaos, many people still don't know if they are formally considered boosted.

Munich - There is currently no topic that dominates public discussions in Germany like the Omicron wave and the possible introduction of compulsory vaccination.

Although the booster vaccination campaign is in full swing, the seven-day incidence remains at a high level.

For security reasons, the 3G or 2G rule applies in many places, where visitors to restaurants or events have to show their vaccination status.

But when is one considered boosted?

Confusion about vaccination status: when am I boosted?

The formalities behind the term "boosted" still cause confusion and resemble a confusing forest. The booster vaccination is primarily a booster vaccination in the form of an additional vaccination dose of an approved mRNA corona vaccine such as Biontech or Moderna. As the name already suggests, the vaccination protection is to be increased or refreshed by the administration, since new corona variants (especially Omikron) could bypass the existing vaccinations. According to research, protection begins about seven to twelve days after administration.

However, it becomes more complicated for people who have already recovered.

Anyone who has been vaccinated after a corona disease already enjoys very good protection after a one-off booster vaccination.

Anyone who becomes infected with the virus after an initial vaccination, regardless of the number of vaccine doses, should generally receive a booster vaccination three months after infection.

People who become infected without being vaccinated and then receive their first dose must also wait three months.

Nevertheless, it is important to pay attention to the different regulations in the 16 federal states, as the same formalities do not apply everywhere.

The Bavarian Ministry of Health explained to

, for example, that people who have been vaccinated twice and have survived an infection are not automatically considered to be boosted, this status is only achieved with an additional vaccination.

Boosted and "fully vaccinated" are two different pairs of shoes in many places.

Corona in Germany: federal states work with different rules

A second group that has to adapt to certain rules are people who have been vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson.

They only receive one dose of vaccine during the primary immunization.

Since it has now been researched that this protection is not sufficient, the Standing Vaccination Committee recommends a second vaccination with an mRNA vaccine (Moderna or Biontech/Pfizer) four weeks after the first injection.

Three months later, the booster or booster vaccination can be administered.

However, the federal states are also at odds here and do not seem to be able to formally come to a common denominator.

report, the classification of a corona vaccination with Johnson & Johnson is causing

confusion.

For example, in Hamburg, Berlin or Rhineland-Palatinate, a second injection with Biontech or Moderna is sufficient to be considered boosted.

In Bavaria and Hesse, on the other hand, a different regulation applies, so in addition to a vaccination with Johnson & Johnson, two boosters with other vaccines are required in order to be boosted.

An overview of the booster rules in the federal states can be found here.