The Omikron sublines BA.5 and BA.4 are causing the number of corona cases in Great Britain to rise sharply. Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach caused a controversy on Twitter when he advocated corona booster vaccinations with a pointed formulation.
In view of the rapidly increasing corona numbers – triggered by the Omikron sublines BA.5 and BA.4 – in Great Britain, Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach writes that two vaccinations do not protect well against infection with Omikron and advises a first or second booster vaccination. With his statement that people now have to choose between vaccination or a Covid 19 infection, the Minister of Health caused a controversy on Twitter. Twitter users: Inside, Karl Lauterbach counters that vaccinated people could also become infected with Covid-19. Where one can argue about the pointed wording of the health minister, the core of his statement is that people with only two corona vaccine doses have only little protection against symptomatic diseases from omicron. How the situation in Great Britain is at the moment, how the omicron sub-variants are also spreading in Germany and for whom a second booster vaccination is recommended.
What distinguishes subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 from other omicron variants?
In mid-April, the World Health Organization included the two omicron subvariants BA.4 and BA.5 in its monitoring of omicron variants. They were first detected in South Africa and Botswana. The two variants have a change in the spike protein. The new sub lines have a growth advantage over BA.2. The major growth advantage for BA.4 and BA.5 is most likely explained by their ability to evade the immune protection brought about by previous infection and/or vaccination. How this can increase the number of corona cases has already been shown in Europe in Portugal.
What is the current situation in Great Britain?
Omicron subtypes BA.4 and BA.5 are spreading in Great Britain. Around 1.4 million people contracted the coronavirus in the week ended June 11, up more than 40 percent from the previous week, according to the latest figures from the National Statistics Service (ONS). 4868 people were hospitalized for Covid-19 infection within the last seven days (up to report date June 11, 2022), up from 4012 in the previous week. Omicron subvariants are BA.4 and BA.5 for some, according to ONS responsible for infections. The latest report from the UK Health Security Agency (as of June 16, 2022) states that 51.9 percent of Britons across all age groups have received three corona vaccinations so far. 65.9 percent of Britons have received basic immunization. Epidemiologist Tim Spector from Kings College London recently wrote on Twitter about the situation in Great Britain: “I underestimated the extent of the recent omicron wave. It looks like we will soon be reaching almost 200,000 cases per day.”
How far are the new variants spreading in Germany?
“The strong growth of BA.4 and BA.5 in particular, but also BA.2.12.1, suggests that these variants currently already make up the majority of the evidence,” says the current weekly report (as of June 16, 2022 ) of the Robert Koch Institute (RKI). This data in the report always refers to the week before last: BA.5 made up around 24 percent of the positive samples in a random sample at the time, which again corresponds to around a doubling of the value from the previous week. BA.4 and BA.2.12.1 were both around four percent.
How well does the basic immunization protect?
The “Living Systematic Review”, carried out by the RKI, shows that the double corona vaccination offers less protection against Omikron than against Delta. The RKI summarizes it as follows: “The study results show that the effectiveness after two vaccine doses against any or symptomatic disease caused by the omicron variant is overall low and decreases significantly over time. A booster vaccination can improve the protective effect. Against serious diseases vaccination continues to offer good protection.” These study data do not yet relate to the new sub-variants BA.4 and BA.5. Through their mutations, the subtypes are likely able to bypass the body’s immune response that is generated after vaccination or infection.
How well does a booster vaccination protect?
The new Omikron sub-lines hit the public at a bad time: many people had their last infection and booster vaccination a while ago. A Southern California study funded by Pfizer shows how quickly protection wears off after the third dose of omicron vaccine: After three doses, Biontech-Pfizer’s vaccine was 85 percent effective against hospitalizations for omicron when dosed less than three months ago. However, it fell to 55 percent if the third vaccination was three months or more ago. In terms of emergency room admission, the effectiveness of three doses of the omicron variant was 77 percent when vaccinated less than three months ago, but fell to 53 percent after three months or more.
When the study data was collected, the delta and omicron variants were rampant. The sublines BA.4 and BA.5 were not yet widespread at the time of the survey. Data that also allow well-founded statements about the effectiveness of the third vaccination and the protection against the new sublines are still missing.
How well are vaccinated people who have already been infected with Omicron protected?
A study by researchers from the Universities of Mainz and Frankfurt indicates that vaccinated people (two or three times vaccinated) who had been infected with the omicron variant BA.1 also developed antibodies against Delta and the omicron variant BA after infection .2 have in the blood. The vaccination breakthrough with BA.1 hardly protects against the new sublines BA.4 and BA.5.
Who should get a fourth vaccination against Covid-19?
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) has so far only recommended a fourth vaccination for people over the age of 70, nursing staff, residents of old people’s and nursing homes and people with an immune deficiency. There is currently no general vaccination recommendation for the entire population. So far, however, only 6.4 percent of Germans have been boosted twice. Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach told ZDF: “Those who want to secure themselves for the summer – a fourth vaccination is definitely a good investment because it will reduce the risk of becoming infected for a few months and before severe cases will protect.” So Lauterbach does not share the restriction of Stiko and recommends a second booster vaccination to anyone who “want to have a calm and symptom-free summer”. The minister justifies this with the new Omikron sublines BA.4 and BA.5, among other things.
The Cologne infectiologist Clara Lehmann advises in the “Kölner Stadt-Anzeiger” people who have been vaccinated three times and who belong to the risk group to have the fourth vaccination. Her recommendation for people who have been vaccinated three times who had an omicron infection in winter is: “I advise immunocompetent people to get vaccinated again in late summer or autumn. For risk patients, I now advise a fourth vaccination.”
Sources: t, , , , , , , , , T, with material from the DPA
Source: Stern