According to the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), people in Germany who have been vaccinated against Covid-19 with preparations that are not approved in the EU should receive a booster with an mRNA vaccine. The aim is to optimize vaccination protection, the committee announced on Thursday for a correspondingly updated Covid 19 vaccination recommendation.
The recommendation refers to the Chinese vaccines Coronavac from Sinovac and Covilo from Sinopharm, to Covaxin from India (Bharat Biotech International) and the vaccine Sputnik V from Gamelaya from Russia. The Chinese and Indian preparations are so-called inactivated whole virus vaccines. Sputnik V, on the other hand, is vector-based.
In detail, STIKO has issued the following recommendations:
Anyone who has received basic immunization with one of the vaccines mentioned and may have already received a booster should receive a dose of an mRNA vaccine at least three months after the previous vaccination. Depending on the age, the funds from Moderna or Biontech/Pfizer could be used.
Anyone who has only received one dose of such a vaccine so far should start a new vaccination series with basic immunization and booster vaccination – in accordance with the STIKO recommendation.
“For people who have received another vaccine that is not approved in the EU, the recommendation of a new vaccination series with a vaccine approved in the EU continues to apply,” the committee also announced.