Stiko omits corona vaccination recommendation for healthy children

That quit Stiko member Martin Terhardt in a video link to a draft decision of the expert panel. This should go to the federal states and specialist groups on Tuesday in the so-called commenting procedure. There may still be changes before the Stiko recommendation is complete. The committee justifies the step in a communication with the “rarity of severe courses” in minors without previous illnesses and emphasizes that they have no safety concerns.

For healthy five to eleven year olds, the previous Stiko recommendation provides for a corona vaccine dose, for twelve to 17 year olds a basic immunization plus a booster vaccination.

Stiko omits corona vaccination recommendation for healthy children

The future recommendation provides for annual booster vaccinations for people over 60, residents of care facilities and people with certain previous illnesses from the age of six months. The preferred time is autumn, as known from the flu vaccination. This is to prevent serious illnesses. This booster recommendation also applies to people who work in medicine and care and therefore have an increased risk of infection.

According to Terhardt, no further booster vaccinations are initially planned for healthy adults up to the age of 59. People from this group should have built up basic immunity: through at least two vaccinations plus booster vaccination or infection.

With the planned innovations, Stiko is including the Covid-19 vaccination in its general vaccination recommendations for 2023. This is intended to take into account the development of basic immunity in the population and the properties of the virus. So far, the panel has made separate Covid 19 vaccination recommendations during the pandemic, which have been adjusted again and again – more than 20 times so far.