A recommendation from the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) is to be made soon for corona vaccinations with the further developed new preparations against current virus variants. This can be “expected shortly,” said Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach on Twitter on Monday. The ministry expects the new recommendation “this week”, as a spokeswoman in Berlin announced. The vote of the independent committee is used by many doctors as a guide. The new vaccines, which are adapted to the Omicron variants BA.1 and BA.4/BA.5, are already generally approved.
Several experts who do not belong to the Stiko recently said that a booster vaccination with the new preparations should be an option for groups for which the Stiko is already recommending a second booster vaccination. These are, for example, people over the age of 60 and groups with risk factors.
Lauterbach explained that “from the middle of the week” the vaccine adapted to the BA.5 variant should also be in the practices. The first doses of Biontech’s preparation are expected to be delivered to pharmaceutical wholesalers by Tuesday, according to earlier ministry information. Germany is to receive around 19 million doses of the preparation by October 3rd. The European Commission approved the vaccine a week ago. New vaccines adapted to BA.1 had previously received approval.
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