Stiko recommends
Corona vaccination now also for 12 to 17 year olds
The Corona vaccination is now officially recommended by Stiko for children and adolescents.
After carefully evaluating new scientific findings, the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) is now in favor of corona vaccinations for all children and adolescents from the age of twelve.
The assessment of the data shows that “according to the current state of knowledge, the benefits of vaccination outweigh the risk of very rare side effects,” the panel announced on Monday.
Stiko recommends corona vaccination for children between 12 and 17 years of age
So far, the Stiko has been reluctant to issue a recommendation for the vaccination of children from the age of twelve. The previous reason was insufficient data. On June 10, the Stiko had only spoken out in favor of children with certain pre-existing illnesses receiving a vaccination. Regardless of the recommendation by Stiko, the health ministers decided at the beginning of August to offer all children over the age of twelve a vaccination offer.
The vaccinations for children have been the subject of controversy for several weeks. Experts fear that the delta variant could spread significantly after the summer holidays due to the still unprotected children in schools. On the other hand, the worries of parents and families face possible risks.
Vaccination recommendation based on ten million vaccinated children and adolescents
“On the basis of new monitoring data, in particular from the American vaccination program with nearly ten million vaccinated children and adolescents, possible risks of vaccination for this age group can now be quantified and assessed more reliably,” the statement said.
The side effects of the vaccination in young, male vaccinated subjects occurred in rare isolated cases with myocarditis. There were no other serious side effects after mRNA vaccinations. Another important point for the Stiko’s decision is the predominant delta variant of the virus. Modeling the spread would have shown that children and adolescents are exposed to a significantly higher risk of Sars-CoV-2 infection in a possible fourth wave, according to the Stiko.
Stiko: The vaccination should not become a prerequisite for social participation
At the end of its communication, however, the commission makes one thing clear: “The STIKO is expressly opposed to making vaccinations a prerequisite for social participation in children and adolescents.”
Source used: Stiko press release, spiegel-online.de, dpa
This article originally appeared on Eltern.de.