Even without the Stiko recommendation, many residents in the care facilities have already received a third vaccination.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has spoken out in favor of a general refreshment of vaccination protection for all people over 70 years of age. The committee thus changes its recommendation. So far, so-called booster vaccinations have only made sense if the patient has an immunodeficiency.
But the increasing number of new infections with the corona virus, especially among the elderly, have now prompted the Stiko to reassess the situation. In general, the vaccines provided effective and lasting protection. At an older age, however, the immune response after vaccination is generally lower and infections of those who have been vaccinated could more often lead to a serious course of the disease, said the Stiko on Thursday.
The booster vaccination with an mRNA vaccine should take place no earlier than six months after the completion of the primary vaccination. A third vaccination should also be given to all residents of elderly care facilities as well as nursing staff and people who are in direct contact with high-risk groups.
Stiko now classifies the long-term protective effect of the vaccine from Johnson & Johnson (J&J) as “insufficient”. As the only Covid-19 vaccine, this agent is administered only once and is then supposed to generate an adequate immune defense. But here, too, the Stiko comes to a reassessment after analyzing the data situation.
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The experts now recommend the J&J vaccinees to be boosted with one of the mRNA agents manufactured by Biontech or Moderna. This should take place no earlier than four weeks after the first vaccination.
Growing number of vaccination breakthroughs
The Stiko justifies this with the growing number of so-called vaccination breakthroughs, i.e. new infections of those who have already been vaccinated. In relation to the number of doses administered, the highest number of infections among those vaccinated with Johnson & Johnson would be recorded in Germany, writes the panel.
The effectiveness against the delta variant that is predominant in this country is comparatively low in contrast to the other corona vaccines, it continues. However, the recommendation only applies to the smallest proportion of those who have already been vaccinated: According to the current monitor of the RKI, 3.2 million Germans have received the J&J vaccine.
At the beginning of the week, the European Medicines Agency Ema recommended a quick refresher of the corona vaccination for people with immunodeficiency. You could be given another dose of the mRNA agents from Biontech and Moderna just 28 days after the second vaccination.
For adults with a normal immune system, a third vaccination should be considered six months after the second vaccination at the earliest, the Ema announced on Monday.
In Germany, even without a Stiko recommendation, high-risk groups have been vaccinated a third time for several weeks, including nursing home residents and the staff working there.
If one considers the effect on the immune defense alone, the available study data provide good arguments for a third vaccination. According to Ema experts, the antibody level rises significantly when adults who are second vaccinated receive another dose of the Biontech agent.
The widespread use of booster vaccinations is controversial
Israeli scientists have found: The more contagious Delta variant and the declining immune protection mean that six months after a second dose, the effectiveness with regard to an infection falls to 50 percent – with the booster, the effectiveness is increased to 95 percent. In Israel, the third vaccination for all approved age groups is already more advanced.
Widespread use of booster vaccinations in the population is controversial. Many medical professionals do not yet consider them necessary for the majority of the population who have already been vaccinated. At the same time, the number of those who have not yet been vaccinated is high worldwide.
In the USA, it has been possible for people aged 65 and over to refresh with the means from Biontech and Moderna since mid-September. The FDA decided that younger people should only receive the booster if they belong to a high-risk group
In the United States, vaccination of children between the ages of five and eleven could begin as early as late October. Biontech and Pfizer filed for approval of their vaccine for this age group with the FDA on Thursday.
Your study data also showed high protection with few side effects in children. The vaccination dose, however, is significantly lower, it is only a third of the amount of active ingredient administered to over-12-year-olds. The FDA has already given the prospect of releasing the drug through an emergency approval by the end of October.
In Europe, both manufacturers should also submit an application for approval for the age group of 5 to 11 year olds in the next few days. This means that vaccines for this age group could also be available in Germany this year.
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