Germany is gradually starting to administer additional corona vaccines to people who have already been fully vaccinated. In addition, Bavaria and Schleswig-Holstein are already giving risk groups an extra shot.
The states are giving people ‘booster shots’ because it is feared that the effectiveness of corona vaccines will decrease over time. The administration of additional vaccine doses is sensitive.
Critics believe that rich countries are now claiming even more vaccine doses, while vaccination in developing countries is struggling to get off the ground. The European regulator EMA said on Thursday that it did not consider a booster urgently necessary.
The German vaccination committee STIKO has taken a cautious approach to the discussion. According to chairman Thomas Mertens, not enough research has yet been done to recommend an additional corona jab.
Not all Germans are also eligible for an additional vaccine. These will initially only be administered to vulnerable groups, such as the over-80s, residents of nursing homes and people with certain health problems.
According to the newspaper, people who have been vaccinated with the so-called vector vaccines from Janssen or AstraZeneca are also eligible for an extra shot. This time they will receive the drug from BioNtech/Pfizer or Moderna. The condition is that they had their last shot at least six months ago.