Stiko boss Thomas Mertens is expecting one “Wave of political pressure” in view of the corona vaccination of younger children. In his estimation, however, the problem lies more with older adults.
From the point of view of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), a possible vaccination recommendation for children under the age of 12 is even more difficult than that for 12 to 17 year olds. In Germany, no child under 17 died exclusively of Covid-19, said Stiko chairman Thomas Mertens “Stuttgart newspaper” and the “Stuttgart news”. Because the burden of disease was so low among 12 to 17-year-olds, the decision to vaccinate was so difficult in the balance of benefits and harm. “It will be even more difficult with the younger ones.”
If the approval study by Biontech refers to 3,000 children, then rare side effects such as heart muscle inflammation probably did not appear on this database, said Mertens.
Vaccination fatigue in the elderly
The Stiko boss expects another one at the same time “Wave of political pressure” with a view to vaccinating younger children. “Pressure is bad in this context. Especially because the children should serve to compensate for the vaccination fatigue of the 18 to 59 year olds”he told the papers. “That’s absurd.”
The Stiko is a scientific body that should make decisions based on studies and make recommendations. In the absence of reliable figures, Stiko remains cautious. When it came to vaccinating children and adolescents between 12 and 17 years of age, Stiko initially only recommended the vaccine to patients with certain pre-existing conditions. Only a few weeks later, when more data became available, did she extend the recommendation to all 12 to 17 year olds.
So far, there is no corona vaccine in Germany that is approved for children between the ages of five and eleven. The manufacturer Biontech recently announced that it would apply for approval of its corona vaccine for children of that age in the coming weeks.
