So far it was possible for children and adolescents to get a booster vaccination. Now the Standing Vaccination Commission has also issued a recommendation.
Berlin – The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has generally advocated a Corona booster vaccination for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 years. The committee recommends a so-called booster vaccination for this age group with the mRNA vaccine Comirnaty from Biontech / Pfizer “in the age-appropriate dosage” and at least three months after the previous vaccination, announced the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) on Thursday.
Stiko now also recommends booster vaccination for 12 to 17 year olds
The draft resolution of the recommendation now has to go through what is known as an opinion procedure with the federal states and the specialist groups involved, so it is not yet a final recommendation. The current situation with the sharply increasing number of cases due to the Omikron variant make a corresponding expansion of the vaccination campaign necessary, it said. A booster vaccination will improve the vaccination protection, which has decreased a few months after the basic immunization, and also reduce the probability of transmission of corona infections.
Booster for adolescents also possible so far – Lauterbach: “Independent of the recommendations”
So far, booster vaccinations for children and adolescents aged twelve and over have been handled differently in the federal states. At the end of December, Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) had made it clear that children and adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age “regardless of the recommendations” of the Stiko had a fundamental right to booster vaccinations. The Stiko is an independent body. She develops vaccination recommendations and looks at the benefits for the individual and the entire population. To do this, the experts evaluate international data and studies. The recommendations are considered a medical standard, as stated on the Stiko website. (dpa)
