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Children starting school in North Rhine-Westphalia: "If the risk is unclear, I cannot currently predict that there will be a vaccination recommendation for a general vaccination."
Photo: Guido Kirchner / picture alliance / dpa
Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) is sticking to his plan to offer older children and adolescents a corona vaccination.
That, said the minister in the ntv television program »Frühstart«, is also conceivable if the Standing Vaccination Commission should not make a general recommendation.
In this case, parents and their children can still make an individual decision together with their doctors - because setting the stiko is a recommendation.
"When the approval is given, we will gradually offer children and adolescents over the age of twelve to be vaccinated."
Jens Spahn, Federal Minister of Health (CDU)
The European Medicines Agency (EMA) is currently reviewing approval of Biontech / Pfizer's vaccine for children aged twelve to 15 years.
It is already approved for people aged 16 and over.
A decision is expected by the end of May.
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Spahn said: If the European Medicines Agency approves the vaccine for this age group, children and adolescents can be offered a vaccination before the start of the summer vacation.
The Minister of Health rejected a vaccination as a prerequisite for attending classroom teaching: "I don't see that we will have a mandatory vaccination for school attendance," said the CDU politician.
The Stiko can make a different decision than the EMA
Stiko reserves the right to make its own vaccination recommendation, which can also differ from the decision of the EMA. According to reports, the majority of the expert panel is skeptical about a general vaccination recommendation for all children. The main argument cited is the cost-benefit ratio for those affected: So far, it is not clear to what extent children themselves benefit from the vaccination. However, there is also a risk of side effects for children and young people. The goal of herd immunity should primarily be achieved by vaccinating adults.
On Tuesday evening, Rüdiger von Kries, professor of child epidemiology and one of the 18 members of the commission, made a similar statement on the program »RBB-Spezial«.
Herd immunity should not be the primary target for vaccinating children, he said: "Child vaccinations are made so that children can benefit, so that children are spared serious illnesses without taking any risk."
"If the risk is unclear, I cannot currently predict that there will be a vaccination recommendation for a general vaccination."
Rüdiger von Kries, member of the Stiko
The goal of herd immunity can be achieved much better if one takes care of the 40 million who have not yet been vaccinated.
They would also benefit much more from the vaccinations than the children.
"If the risk is unclear, I cannot currently predict that there will be a vaccination recommendation for a general vaccination," said von Kries.
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