The vaccination campaign in Germany is currently picking up speed. And people’s willingness to vaccinate is also increasing. However, the second spade will probably not be the last in the fight against the corona virus.
By next year at the latest, citizens in Germany will have to be vaccinated again against the corona virus. “The virus will not leave us again. The current corona vaccinations will therefore not be the last,» said the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, to the newspapers of the Funke media group. Will everyone have to refresh their corona vaccination in 2022?
«Basically, we have to be prepared for the fact that everyone may have to refresh their vaccination protection next year.» According to a recent survey, the general willingness to be vaccinated in Germany has increased significantly.
Refresh corona vaccination: Manufacturers are working on modified vaccines
Mertens pointed out that the manufacturers say they are already working on modified vaccines that are said to be effective against relevant mutants that are currently known. According to the Stiko boss, it is also conceivable that the vaccination protection in individual groups is already decreasing again or is generally too weak. This can affect individual age groups or people with certain previous illnesses. According to Mertens, patients whose immune system is controlled by medication may need a third dose at short notice.
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Lauterbach: Refresh corona vaccination from autumn
SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach expects immunity to last around six months after vaccination. The first refresher will therefore be due for some in the fall, he told the Funke newspapers. If mutations spread in Germany against which the current vaccines are not so effective, it may be necessary to start with an adapted vaccine earlier. For example, the vaccines from Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson did not work so well against the South African variant. «Should this variant spread widely among us, the people affected should then be better immunized first.»
According to official information, 30.4 million people in Germany had received at least one corona vaccination by Saturday (May 15). That is 36.5 percent of the total population. More than nine million people (10.9 percent) already have full vaccination protection.
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Survey: Three quarters of Germans over 18 want to be immunized against the corona virus
Since the start of the vaccination campaign in Germany almost five months ago, the willingness to vaccinate has increased significantly. This is the result of a YouGov survey commissioned by the German Press Agency. According to this, almost three quarters of Germans over the age of 18 want to be immunized against the corona virus. 36 percent of those surveyed have already been vaccinated at least once, and a further 38 percent intend to do so in the future. Together that’s 74 percent.
Shortly before the start of the vaccination campaign on December 27, only 65 percent had decided to be vaccinated. 19 percent rejected the immunization at the time, now it is only 15 percent. The proportion of those undecided has fallen from 16 to 11 percent since the end of December.
In many places there is not yet enough vaccine available
Several federal states have announced that vaccination prioritization in medical practices will be lifted for the week beginning this Monday (May 17). In Bavaria and Baden-Württemberg, all previously available corona vaccines can be vaccinated by the doctor without regard to the prioritization specified by the state. Starting this Monday, Berlin will also be lifting the prioritization of all available corona vaccines for general practitioners and company doctors. Saxony will follow on May 24th. However, in many places there is probably not yet enough vaccine available for everyone who wants to be vaccinated to get a vaccination appointment quickly.
*With material from the dpa