The vaccination for children from the age of twelve causes controversy among health experts. Politicians are putting pressure on them, but the permanent vaccination commission still does not want to make a general recommendation.
The SPD health expert Karl Lauterbach considers corona vaccinations for children from the age of twelve to be appropriate. That politics is now creating facts is correct, said Lauterbach on Monday on Deutschlandfunk before the health ministers’ conference on the subject. The main studies on vaccinating children showed that infection with the delta variant of the coronavirus was more dangerous than vaccination. Scientifically, he clearly came to the conclusion that vaccinations help children.
The US health authority CDC, which probably has the best experts in the world, recommends vaccinating children. More than six million children have been vaccinated in the USA, and immunization has been well studied here.
Health ministers want to push vaccinations for young people
In the meantime, this attitude seems to find a majority in German politics. The chairman of the Prime Minister’s Conference, Berlin’s Governing Mayor Michael Müller (SPD), promoted corona vaccinations for children and adolescents from twelve to 17 years of age. The vaccination was “not at all as risky as many fear,” said Müller on Monday in the ARD “Morgenmagazin”. He believes that the federal and state health ministers want to promote vaccinations for this age group as “very appropriate”. The health ministers want to force vaccinations in this age group,
The European Medicines Agency Ema had approved the Covid-19 vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer for children and adolescents from the age of twelve in May, and the approval for Moderna followed a few days ago.
Stiko continues to hit the brakes
In Germany, the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has so far only recommended vaccination, despite intense political pressure, primarily to children and adolescents with certain pre-existing conditions such as diabetes or obesity, who have an increased risk of a severe course. Stiko chairman Thomas Mertens told the broadcaster NDR Info on Monday that there was still too little data on possible consequential health problems for 12 to 17 year olds. “We say we cannot make a general recommendation as long as we do not have the necessary data security in this regard.” Lauterbach said that the Stiko represented an “outsider position” here.
This Monday, the federal and state health ministers are discussing corona vaccination offers for young people. “All federal states will now offer vaccinations for 12 to 17-year-olds in the vaccination centers,” writes the Federal Ministry of Health in a proposed resolution sent to the federal states.
