Germany plans to start booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine from September

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Latest news: Germany plans to start booster shot (3rd dose) of COVID-19 vaccine from September

Germany plans to start booster shot of COVID-19 vaccine from September. As the new coronavirus continues to mutate, the number of cases has increased sharply, and the mortality rate continues to rise, many countries have begun to introduce the third dose of the new coronavirus vaccine. Recently, the German government released the latest news: It plans to provide the elderly and high-risk groups with a booster vaccine for the new coronavirus from September 1.

A draft document seen by Agence France-Presse on Sunday showed that as people are increasingly worried about the spread of Delta virus variants, Germany plans to start providing the elderly and high-risk groups with enhanced vaccines for the COVID-19 virus from September 1.

The plan also recommends the promotion of vaccination for people aged 12-17, which will go further than the guidelines previously issued by the Chinese vaccine regulatory agency. German Health Minister Jens Spahn and 16 local health ministers will finalize the plan drawn up by department officials at a meeting on Monday.

The document says that mobile vaccination teams will be sent to nursing and nursing homes to provide residents with Pfizer-BioNTech or Moderna boosters, regardless of which vaccine they initially received. Doctors can also give booster shots to eligible people, such as the elderly and people with weakened immune systems.

Studies have shown that over time, protection against infection will decline, putting vulnerable people at risk again. Although Germany’s current infection rate is relatively low compared to neighboring countries, the number of cases has been climbing in recent weeks, mainly due to the more contagious variant of the Delta virus. There are also concerns that the vaccination rate will slow down because just over 52% of the population have been vaccinated.

Second, in order to allow more young people to be vaccinated, the Ministers of Health hope to expand the scope of vaccination by opening all vaccination centers across the country to children aged 12 to 17. The draft resolution says that schools and universities should also provide vaccines.

In June of this year, the German STIKO Vaccine Committee officially recommended that the vaccine is only applicable to children aged 12 to 17, provided that they have a previous disease or live with people at high risk of COVID-19. This disappointed many people.

Although teenagers who do not fall into these categories are still allowed to be vaccinated, after consultation with their parents and doctors, prudent STIKO guidance has slowed the rate of vaccination. In the European Union, the European Medicines Agency has approved Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna vaccines for all people over 12 years of age.

German Health Minister Spahn said on Twitter on Saturday that so far, one-fifth of German children between the ages of 12 and 17 have received their first coronavirus vaccination. He wrote: “There are enough vaccines for all age groups: anyone who wants to get it can get it.”

If Spahn and his regional colleagues sign the draft text, their decision to encourage all teenagers to roll up their sleeves would essentially bypass STIKO, who stated that more data is needed before issuing more general recommendations. According to the draft, vaccinating children and adolescents can “make a significant contribution to the safe return to the classroom after summer vacation.”

The Robert Koch Institute of Health in Germany reported on Sunday that there are 2097 new coronavirus cases every day and one death. Since the outbreak of the epidemic, there have been more than 3.7 million confirmed cases in Germany and 91,659 deaths.

(source:internet, reference only)

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