Stiko wants to change Corona vaccination recommendation

The Standing Commission on Vaccination (Stiko) is apparently planning to change the Corona vaccination recommendation. This emerges from a draft of the Stiko, which is available to Bild. According to the draft, the Stiko wants to recommend a fourth Corona vaccination for people aged 60 to 69. The countries can still discuss this proposal.

The following items are included in the Stiko's confidential draft decision on the 21st update of the Covid 19 vaccination recommendation, according to Bild:

• A fourth Corona vaccination is recommended for all persons 60 years of age and older.
• Individuals (5 years of age and older) at increased risk for severe Covid 19 courses due to underlying disease are also recommended a fourth vaccination.
• At least six months must have passed since the first booster vaccination or the last Corona infection. In justified individual cases, the interval could be reduced to four months.
• Citizens should not wait for the adjusted Omicron vaccine.
• The second booster vaccination campaign is scheduled to begin in mid-September.
• All persons under age 60 who are not in a high-risk group are not recommended to receive a second booster vaccination. These would not benefit "appreciably" from it.
• A fifth vaccination might be possible for older individuals because of the immune system's declining capacity. The second booster vaccination should then have been given more than six months ago. Who gets a fifth vaccination should be decided individually.

Currently, the Stiko recommends a second booster vaccination for all persons over 70 years of age, as well as for high-risk patients, residents of care facilities, and employees in the medical and nursing fields. The EU has already changed its Corona vaccination recommendation on July 11, recommending a fourth Corona vaccination for all people over 60 years of age and those who are particularly susceptible.

Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya