Contrary to the STIKO
Lauterbach also advises younger people to have a fourth vaccination
07/15/2022, 01:30 am
The EU recommends the second booster vaccination for people over the age of 60, the Standing Vaccination Commission only considers it necessary from the age of 70. Federal Minister of Health Lauterbach sees it differently: for a carefree summer, younger people should pick up the fourth poke, he says.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach also recommends a fourth corona vaccination for people under the age of 60. “If someone wants to enjoy the summer and doesn’t want to take the risk of falling ill (…), then I would of course recommend vaccination to younger people in consultation with the family doctor,” said the SPD politician to the “Spiegel”.
“Then you just have a completely different level of security.” The long-Covid risk is “significantly reduced for a few months”, as is the risk of infection, Lauterbach said of the second booster vaccination. People could still take a vaccine adapted to Omicron even after the fourth vaccination. Such a vaccine could be available in late August or early September, but that depends on approval, said the health minister.
Lauterbach thus goes beyond the recommendations of the EU and the Standing Vaccination Commission. On Monday, the EU recommended a second booster vaccination for people over the age of 60. In Germany, the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) has so far recommended a second booster vaccination for people over the age of 70, at-risk patients and residents of care facilities and employees in the medical field and in care facilities.
In the conversation, Lauterbach said he assumed that STIKO would follow suit with their recommendation. He assesses the previous work of the Commission critically. When asked whether the Commission needed a new boss, the health minister replied: “I think we need to think about how the Stiko’s work can become more dynamic.”