The curve of corona infections is rising steeply. The Standing Vaccination Commission updated its recommendation in autumn. At the same time, several million Germans are about to have their booster vaccination. FOCUS online answers the four most pressing vaccination questions about the Corona autumn.
The corona wave is slowly picking up speed. At the same time, Stiko has updated its vaccination recommendation with regard to the currently predominant omicron subline BA.5. So who needs to boost now? Who should get a fourth vaccination? And with which vaccine? The answers to the four most pressing questions.
The recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) was officially published on Thursday. Specifically, the committee now recommends:
Also new: the panel recommends booster vaccination, preferably with an omicron-adapted bivalent mRNA vaccine. It should be administered six months after the last vaccination or corona infection.
Bivalent means “bivalent”. Stiko emphasizes that the bivalent mRNA vaccines trigger an improved antibody response to the omicron variants and a consistently good response to the earlier variant compared to the previous mRNA vaccines.
How does this work? In addition to the original vaccine, which contains the mRNA for the production of the wild-type spike protein, the preparations also contain a component against BA.1 or BA.4 and BA.5, with the gene consisting of the identical sections of the two spike genes .
For the booster vaccination from the age of twelve, Stiko recommends one of the approved bivalent mRNA vaccines adapted to Omicron. Specifically, these are:
The Stiko did not respond to the frequent question as to which of these new preparations those who would like to be vaccinated should take: the decision relates to both the BA.1 and the BA.4/BA.5 vaccine. Both elicited an improved antibody response to different omicron variants compared to previous mRNA vaccines, they said.
“The previous monovalent mRNA vaccines can also continue to be used because they continue to protect against severe Covid-19 disease progression, including through omicron variants.” Accordingly, people who have recently received their indicated booster vaccinations should not receive a separate extra vaccination dose received with an adapted vaccine. !function(){var t=window.addEventListener?”addEventListener”:”attachEvent”;(0,window[t])(“attachEvent”==t?”onmessage”:”message”,function(t){if (“string”==typeof t.data
“The old vaccine is by no means bad,” said Stiko boss Mertens at a press conference on Thursday with a widespread misinterpretation. The doctor clarified that the new, adapted Omicron vaccines are recommended for a booster because of a slightly better immune response. However, the adapted vaccines are neither recommended nor approved for basic immunization.
For basic immunization (first and second vaccination), Stiko continues to recommend the previous vaccines. These include:
After the omicron sublines BA.1, BA.2 and BA.4/5, experts also expect further variants to spread in Germany, especially BQ.1.1. Is vaccination with the Omicron-adapted vaccines worthwhile at all, or is it better to wait and see?
When asked by FOCUS online, virologist Friedemann Weber explains: “BQ.1.1 descends from BA.5, and many of its relatives are either also in this direct line or at least from the family tree of their ancestor, the variant BA.2. Therefore, a BA.5 booster vaccination could be beneficial.” Researchers currently assume that we will primarily be dealing with sublines of the omicron variant in autumn and winter. The following would also apply to them: The omicron-adapted vaccine should in all probability protect against a severe course.