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Bavaria's Minister of Health, Klaus Holetschek, is satisfied with the solution
Photo: Tobias Hase / dpa
People under the age of 60 who have been vaccinated with a first dose of AstraZeneca should switch to another preparation for the second vaccination.
The federal and state health ministers unanimously agreed on Tuesday.
"The solution that has now been found offers good protection for the people," said the chairman of the conference of health ministers, Bavaria's head of department Klaus Holetschek, on Tuesday evening of the dpa.
The ministers are following a recommendation made by the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) at the beginning of April.
During the consultations, in which Stiko boss Thomas Mertens had also participated, it had become clear that the second vaccination with an mRNA vaccine, i.e. the preparation from Biontech / Pfizer or Moderna, was a good basis for effectively protecting people, said Holetschek.
"Especially in the third wave."
Specifically, the resolution recommends a second vaccination twelve weeks after the first vaccination for people under the age of 60.
"Appointments for a second vaccination that have already been agreed can also take place temporarily from the ninth week after the first vaccination," it continues.
AstraZeneca can only be used for a second vaccination in individual cases and after an individual risk analysis with a doctor.
Last week, the health ministers postponed the decision to switch vaccines.
First vaccination with AstraZeneca already in 2.2 million people under 60
The recommendation is based on suspected cerebral vein thrombosis after vaccination with AstraZeneca.
Experts suspect that the very low risk mainly affects younger people.
The federal and state governments recently decided to only allow the AstraZeneca drug to be administered to people over 60 as a rule.
According to the Federal Ministry of Health, around 2.2 million citizens under the age of 60 had already received an initial vaccination with AstraZeneca in the past few weeks.
On Tuesday, the US pharmaceutical company Johnson & Johnson announced that it was delaying the launch of its vaccine in Europe because it too had received reports of sinus vein thrombosis
kim / dpa
