The National Vaccination Committee (NIG) lowered the age limit from 65 years in its application recommendation updated on Wednesday. In addition, persons at risk from the age of twelve should also get a refresher. Valneva’s inactivated vaccine will also be available by the end of August, the Ministry of Health said.
The change in the fourth vaccination follows the procedure of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) and the European Center for Disease Prevention and Control (ECDC). “With the recommendation for a booster vaccination from the age of 60, we are standardizing the recommendation in accordance with the Europe-wide specifications and thus ensuring more clarity in communication,” Health Minister Johannes Rauch (Greens) was quoted as saying in the broadcast. Developments in the pandemic and scientific studies show that older people as well as risk groups still have the highest risk of severe courses of Covid-19, it said.
Possible after four months at the earliest
New scientific analyzes have shown that people over the age of 60 already benefit from an earlier booster vaccination. The booster vaccination should be given at the earliest four months, but in any case from six months after completion of the basic immunization with three vaccinations or after a PCR-confirmed infection. According to the application recommendation, a booster vaccination is still “not generally recommended” for healthy, immunocompetent people aged twelve to 59 years. At personal request, however, these people should not be denied a booster vaccination.
The Ministry of Health expects the first delivery of around 74,000 doses of the vaccine from the Austrian-French manufacturer Valneva in the next two weeks. After that, the vaccine can probably be used in the vaccination lines of the federal states at the end of August. “Valneva’s vaccine expands the selection again. This means that a highly effective, classic inactivated vaccine against Covid-19 is also available. I hope that we will reach some people who were previously skeptical about the newly developed mRNA vaccines,” emphasized Rauch .
Valenva for age group from 18 to 50 years
The NIG has already taken into account the forthcoming availability of the Valneva vaccine in its recommendation for use. According to the product information, the vaccine is administered in two doses 28 days apart and is currently approved for active immunization in the age group from 18 to 50 years. It can be assumed that after the first two vaccinations further boosters or refreshers will be necessary, it is explained. According to the general recommendations of the NIG, heterologous vaccines can also be used for third and fourth vaccinations – sometimes off-label, i.e. without special approval for switching to another vaccine.
Source: Nachrichten
