Do you need a fourth vaccination to stop the corona pandemic? Right now everything revolves around the third dose, the booster. But Lauterbach has already brought the fourth vaccination into play.
Berlin – The Omikron wave is also picking up speed in Germany. The new coronavirus variant turns a lot on its head. Boosters are currently the order of the day. In view of Omikron, two vaccination doses cannot be considered as providing complete vaccination protection. Discussions about a fourth dose of vaccine are now starting. Does a fourth dose make sense? Who should get a fourth dose? How many more corona vaccinations are there?
The health ministers of the federal states discussed a possible fourth corona vaccination on Monday (January 10th). A specific decision has not yet been made. There is as yet no scientific basis for a fourth dose for particularly vulnerable groups. The examinations for this, in particular by the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) and the Federal Ministry of Health, were still ongoing. So far there has been no recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) that older people or those with low immunity should be vaccinated a fourth time for Omikron.
Fourth corona vaccination in sight? Lauterbach wants to wait for data
Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) believes a fourth vaccination is necessary, especially for the elderly. Lauterbach said that on the ARD talk show on “Hart aber fair” on Monday. However, there was a lack of reliable study data to make a clear statement and recommendation. Lauterbach wants to wait for this.
Even before Christmas, the SPD politician, like other experts, assumed that a fourth corona vaccination would be necessary. In response to a corresponding request at a press conference in Berlin, the Minister of Health said that it was not known how long the booster protection would last with the Omikron variant – possibly not all that long.
Why is a fourth corona vaccination needed at all?
According to studies, the vaccination protection against the Omikron variant increases significantly after a booster. According to experts, the booster is indispensable. The catch: After more than ten weeks, the booster protection also drops by around 50 percent according to current knowledge. Especially for older people and medical nurses in Germany, the third vaccination was sometimes a little longer ago. A fourth dose of vaccine could help to get the immune system back on its toes. Because of this, Israel has decided to have a fourth vaccination in view of the increasing number of infections.
Important: In general, a corona vaccination, regardless of the vaccine, lowers the risk of getting seriously ill with Covid-19. However, vaccination does not offer 100 percent protection against infection.
And: Biontech / Pfizer and Moderna are already working on a special Omikron vaccine. A version tailored to the newly emerged virus variant could be available as early as March, announced Biontech / Pfizer on Tuesday evening (January 11). The Mainz-based pharmaceutical company Biontech has started production of a corona vaccine adapted to the Omikron variant for later commercial use. A clinical study on the vaccine will begin at the end of January.
Second booster vaccination: This is what data from Israel say about the effect of a fourth vaccination
The fourth vaccination against Corona has already started in Israel. Especially risk groups, people with immunodeficiency and people over 60 are already vaccinated there with a fourth dose of Biontech / Pfizer. The first preliminary results are already available.
According to an Israeli study, a fourth vaccination dose with Biontech / Pfizer increases the number of antibodies against the Omikron variant five-fold within a week. According to one expert, the first data from Israel are not very convincing.
“We see a certain increase in antibodies, but the increase is not very impressive,” said study director Professor Gili Regev of the Israeli news site ynet. Especially since people are already at the same antibody level shortly after the fourth vaccination as shortly after the third dose. Regev had hoped for more from a second booster vaccination. It could not be the goal to get vaccinated against the coronavirus about every four months. She was glad that endangered population groups such as the immunocompromised and over 60-year-olds in Israel were already being given the fourth dose, Regev said. “But I’m really not sure if they should be given to everyone now. We need even more information. ”However, the level of increase in antibodies does not automatically indicate the extent to which the actual protection against infection or disease has improved.
However, the expert is clearly in favor of a first booster. “Anyone who has received the first and second dose must urgently also receive the third.” Those who have not yet received a booster should “run” to the vaccination station, she advised.
Israel is now trying vaccine combinations: 150 participants in the Schiba hospital are to receive a fourth vaccination with Moderna after three doses of the preparation from Biontech / Pfizer. “A combination of vaccines may be better,” Regev said. It is the first attempt worldwide with a fourth vaccination with combined vaccines.
This is what experts say about the fourth corona vaccination
General practitioner association boss Ulrich Weigeldt expects further booster vaccinations against the corona virus. “We expect that a fourth vaccination will be necessary in summer, at the latest in autumn,” he told the Bild newspaper in December. He hoped that the fourth corona vaccination could then be administered “in conjunction with the flu vaccination”, “in order to make protection against corona into a routine”.
According to immunologist Carsten Watzl, it is first of all important to curb the spread of the virus through close-knit vaccination protection, as reported by focus.de. There are still too large vaccine picks, and not all are adequately protected against the course of serious illnesses. In his opinion, protection against severe Covid-19 courses is the primary goal and it deteriorates much more slowly than protection against a mere infection. Regular boosters could be useful for risk groups. In younger and healthy people, only if the virus changes significantly.
Epidemiologist Timo Ulrichs said cautiously in the RTL Talk: “Whether we have to do that in Germany too depends a bit on the epidemiological situation.” In his opinion, it remains to be seen whether complete protection is actually still necessary when the pressure of infection subsides . After the Omikron wave that is now passing through Germany, “it could be that we will find ourselves in calmer waters again in spring and summer”. If the vaccination protection is no longer there one hundred percent, it should be enough to prevent the virus from spreading further. In order to get through the critical phase better now, one could think about a fourth vaccination for older people.
Is there enough vaccine for a fourth vaccination?
Health Minister Lauterbach “We are prepared for this and have bought a specific Omikron vaccine from Biontech.” Lauterbach spoke of a total of 80 million doses that are expected from April or May. In addition, Moderna vaccine should be procured again. (ml with material from the dpa)
