Around 1.4 million people in Germany received a third-party vaccination. Is the Federal Republic too slow with the booster vaccinations?
Frankfurt – The vaccination rate in Germany is stagnating. A look at the dashboard of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) shows that the daily new vaccinations continue to decrease. Currently, about 69 percent of Germans have received a corona vaccine * at least once (as of October 21, 2021).
In December 2020, the vaccination of risk groups began in Germany. Older people are particularly badly affected by the consequences of Corona * disease and were therefore the first to receive the first dose of vaccine. More than half a year has now passed and studies repeatedly document that the vaccination protection is weaker in the elderly. While third-party vaccinations are already being offered nationwide in other countries, the booster is rather slow in Germany.
Corona vaccination protection: RKI report shows a downward trend
The RKI’s weekly report confirms that vaccination protection is slowly falling. There the development of the vaccination effectiveness of different age groups was considered. From the fifth to the 40th calendar week of this year, protection for 18 to 59 year olds was around 83 percent. In people over 60 who were vaccinated, the level of protection was still 82 percent.
In the past three weeks, however, a decrease in vaccine effectiveness could be seen. According to the RKI, the estimated vaccination protection for the age group 18 to 59 has fallen to around 78 percent. From 60, the immunization would currently only be around 76 percent. However, the protection against a severe course of the disease and hospitalization remains at around 96 percent.
The effect of the vaccination decreases over time. However, long-term immune protection is not only based on antibodies. Christian Dahlke from the Institute for Infectious Diseases at the University Clinic Hamburg-Eppendorf explains that the body’s own memory cells also play an important role: “If you have antibody levels that cannot be measured, breakthrough infections can occur. But there are still the T cells and the memory cells: They can quickly raise the antibodies back to a level so that the virus is fought again and the body is protected, ”tagesschau.de quotes the expert.
Booster vaccination: when does vaccination protection decrease?
As the vaccination protection declines, the number of breakthroughs increases. The absolute number of vaccinated Covid-19 patients in intensive care units is increasing. Most of the severe courses still occur in unvaccinated people. Nonetheless, people who have been vaccinated become more susceptible to infection the longer they have been vaccinated. Older people are particularly affected by this. “After six months, the antibody level acquired through the vaccination goes down significantly, especially in very old people,” explains virologist Christian Drosten in an interview with tagesschau.de.
Several studies have already proven this thesis, including a study in Israel. It also examined how effective a booster vaccination is in older people. The Israeli study results * showed gratifying results.
Refresh your vaccination: Germany compared to other countries
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) has been recommending a booster vaccination for people over the age of 70 since the beginning of October. Around 1.4 million people are currently receiving a third refresher. But the number increases only slightly. Concerns about the possible side effects of a third vaccination cause resentment. According to data from the RKI, an average of only around 50,000 thousand third-party vaccinations are administered every day. Given the well over ten million people over 70, refreshing the risk group could take a long time.
In other countries, booster vaccinations are carried out much more efficiently. In Lithuania every adult is offered a so-called “booster shot”, provided that the last vaccination was six months ago. Israel relies on the same strategy: there it should be possible for all citizens to be vaccinated a third time.
Denmark recently developed its own booster vaccination program. It goes by the name “Revaccination” and describes how the population should systematically receive a third vaccination.
In the UK and the US, experts have long been calling for a third vaccination schedule. According to media reports, the US drug agency FDA is about to announce a recommendation for a Corona booster vaccination for people aged 40 and over.
Corona winter: many vaccination breakthroughs?
As is well known, the number of cases can increase sharply in the winter months. Looking back on the last year of the corona pandemic *, it is even to be expected that there will be mass outbreaks again. With an explosion in corona cases, vaccination breakthroughs could also increase.
To prevent this, people aged 60 and over should receive a refresher this year, even better from 50, says Reinhold Förster from the Institute for Immunology at the Medical University of Hanover to tagesschau.de. In addition, the need for a third vaccination must be communicated even more strongly. Many people would not have seen the need for the first vaccination. (aa) * fr.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA
