Based on data from Israel
STIKO announces recommendation for fourth vaccination
2/2/2022, 7:47 p.m
Hundreds of thousands have already received a fourth corona vaccination in Israel. Based on this data, the Standing Vaccination Commission is preparing a recommendation that it intends to announce “soon”. Green health expert Dahmen considers the fourth injection to be useful for certain groups.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) is currently preparing a recommendation for a fourth vaccination against the coronavirus. “The most recent data from Israel suggests that a fourth dose produces some improvement in protection against infection and a more significant improvement in protection against serious illness,” chairman Thomas Mertens told the Funke media group’s newspapers. “STIKO will soon make a recommendation on this.”
At the moment it is about a second booster vaccination with the existing mRNA vaccines. With a view to the vaccines that have been adapted to the omicron variant, however, the Commission must first wait for the data from the clinical studies by Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer, according to Mertens.
Green health expert Janosch Dahmen believes that a fourth dose of vaccine makes sense for certain patient groups, as he told the Funke newspapers. “A fourth vaccination with the previous vaccines probably makes sense if the immune response is too weak after three vaccinations, for example in old and seriously ill people.”
Better protection for over 60s
Initial data from Israel showed that people over the age of 60 in particular could have slightly better protection against serious illness after a fourth vaccination. “In order to give general practitioners and patients orientation, the medical societies should examine the data available so far on the fourth vaccination for certain pre-existing conditions and, if necessary, make recommendations,” demanded Dahmen. It is conceivable, for example, that patients with diseases of the immune system or those who take medication that weaken the immune system should get a fourth vaccination.
However, data that suggest a general recommendation for a fourth vaccination with the previous vaccines is not yet available, says Dahmen. “So far, the vast majority of people in Germany have received their booster vaccination in December or January. Their immune protection against serious illness is currently very good.”
In Israel, more than 600,000 people have already received a fourth dose of the vaccine. The recommendation initially only applied to people over the age of 60, immunocompromised people and medical staff. Adults with previous illnesses and their carers have recently been able to get the fourth spade.