AUnlike the American government, German virologists do not yet want to determine the interval at which booster vaccinations against the corona virus will be necessary. President Joe Biden urged the American population on Tuesday to be vaccinated against the virus annually in the future.
Sandra Ciesek, Director of the Institute for Medical Virology at the University Hospital Frankfurt, was more cautious: “How often we have to be vaccinated against SARS-CoV-2 in the future will depend above all on how quickly the virus continues to change due to new mutations “Ciesek told the FAZ if the genetic modification of the virus slows down, it is also “quite possible that we will need to adapt the vaccine less often in the future,” said Ciesek.
The virologist Oliver Keppler told the FAZ that the experiences of the past few months suggest that regular COVID-19 booster vaccinations are helpful, especially for people with an increased risk of serious illnesses. The Frankfurt virologist Martin Stürmer sees it similarly, who considers annual vaccination with adapted vaccines to be fundamentally sensible. He told the FAZ that the virus had shown how quickly it could mutate. It could therefore also be necessary to immunize at shorter intervals.
Sabine Wicker, deputy chairwoman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO), cannot yet say whether an annual vaccination against the corona virus will be necessary. The STIKO is currently working on the recommendations for the Omicron-adapted vaccines and will publish them very promptly, Wicker told the FAZ Aktuell, the STIKO recommends repeated booster vaccinations from the age of 60 and for high-risk patients. Wicker emphasized that more than ten million adults in Germany have not yet been vaccinated; only one in four over the age of 60 has received four vaccinations so far. “I see that as a priority at the moment,” said the deputy STIKO chair.
In a statement on Tuesday evening, the American President spoke of a “new phase” in corona policy through the further developed booster vaccine. “For most Americans, that means one coronavirus shot a year, every fall,” Biden said. Just like the annual flu vaccination, every citizen over the age of twelve should be vaccinated with the corona vaccine between the beginning of September and the end of October. “It’s safe, easy to get, and it’s free,” Biden said. The vaccine would be adjusted annually.
