The debate about the second corona booster is causing uncertainty. What speaks for the fourth vaccination? Something against?
Frankfurt – In Germany, the debate about booster vaccinations is currently in focus again. Only recently, SPD Health Minister Lauterbach recommended the fourth vaccination to people under 60, thereby opposing the recommendations of experts at federal and EU level. The discussion is causing uncertainty, and that is before an autumn in which the corona situation is likely to worsen again. What is the second booster and who should get it?
Both the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the Standing Vaccination Commission in Germany (STIKO) now recommend a fourth vaccination to protect against corona – with restrictions. While according to the EU authority, people over the age of 60 should receive the second booster, the STIKO draws the line at the 70-year-olds. Both institutions rate the measure as useful for particularly vulnerable people, regardless of age. Karl Lauterbach went beyond these recommendations in an interview with Der Spiegel. A fourth vaccination creates “a completely different level of security” and reduces the risk of infection and illness from Long Covid.
Fourth corona vaccination: STIKO boss contradicts Lauterbach’s booster recommendation
STIKO boss Thomas Mertens promptly contradicted Lauterbach’s proposal. “I think it’s bad to make medical recommendations under the motto ‘a lot helps a lot’,” he told the world on Sunday. The transmission of the corona virus is also only slightly influenced by the booster vaccinations, according to the commission chairman. Rather, it is about protecting against severe courses.
A study from Israel, where the administration of the fourth vaccination started early, supports Mertens’ statement. Accordingly, the fourth dose protects better than the third, but the protection against infection lasts only for a short time. The risk of a serious illness, however, also decreases in the long term, the researchers write. The data from the Robert Koch Institute also suggest this. According to figures from the latest Monthly Report, all age groups were less likely to be hospitalized with COVID-19 if they received a booster shot. In the over 60-year-olds, the risk of a serious illness even increased ninefold for people without a booster.
Decision on fourth vaccination: who needs the second corona booster?
Both the third and the fourth corona vaccination increase the protection against a severe course. Ultimately, the decision to vaccinate people is always a risk assessment. Older and particularly vulnerable people generally have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill with corona or dying from the virus. So the benefit outweighs the risk, according to the Süddeutsche Zeitung, Christine Falk, President of the German Society for Immunology. For younger people, on the other hand, the risk of side effects is more important.
In any case, there is consensus that a second booster vaccination for older people makes sense. Experts agree that whether the line is drawn at 60 or 70 is of secondary importance. For younger people, the decision remains an individual one for the time being. As Lauterbach himself made clear in his approach, consultation with the general practitioner is definitely necessary. (vbu with AFP/dpa)
