Who should now get Corona booster vaccinations and who should administer them? This is currently the subject of controversial discussion – especially reactivating the mothballed vaccination centers.
The cities have criticized the debate over a short-term reactivation of vaccination centers for corona booster vaccinations.
A vaccination center is “not a flashlight” that can be switched off and on again depending on the mood, according to a letter from the German Association of Cities to the health ministers of the federal states, which is available to the German Press Agency. Structures have been changed, areas have been used for other purposes, and staff have been redeployed. Such a change of direction is incomprehensible.
The federal government and the federal states had agreed to close the more than 400 regional vaccination centers set up at the start of vaccination by September 30 or to reduce capacities. The acting Federal Minister of Health Jens Spahn (CDU) brought up the discussion that the federal states are making the vaccination centers ready to start again in order to enable more vaccination refreshments as protection in winter. Several countries have already reacted with reserve to the advance. However, there is still criticism of the slow vaccination rate in the network of medical practices.
“Even in the pandemic, a minimum degree of calculability of decisions is required,” warned the City Council. In view of the dynamically increasing number of infections, it is right to address the issue of booster vaccinations in good time. First of all, the statutory health insurance associations are required to organize. These had “always signaled that they would be able to carry out a mass vaccination business in autumn and winter without the communal vaccination centers”. The cities would of course be ready to maintain their low-threshold vaccination offers and, if necessary, to expand them.
On Tuesday, the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV) and the chairman of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), Thomas Mertens, want to comment on the procedure in the Corona crisis in winter in Berlin. Vaccination boosters are possible at least six months after a full vaccination. They are offered to older people aged 60 and over, corona risk groups, but also to those who have been vaccinated with Astrazeneca and Johnson & Johnson. For the time being, Stiko recommends refreshments for people aged 70 and over. In principle, according to the vaccination ordinance, they are also possible for all other people.
The chairman of the World Medical Association, Frank Ulrich Montgomery, told the newspapers of the Funke media group: “Anyone who was fully vaccinated six months ago should get a booster vaccination soon.” He explained: “Because the immune protection decreases after six months, we as a society must have an interest in ensuring that the protection remains stable.” He asked for the booster vaccinations to be given to the general practitioners. “On the other hand, it would be wrong to rely on vaccination centers again: In the beginning, vaccination centers were necessary because there was too little vaccine and storage of the cans was complicated.” Vaccination centers are ten times as expensive as vaccination in a doctor’s office. In addition, the threshold for many people to go to the family doctor is much lower.
According to its chairman Mertens, the Stiko is currently dealing extensively with the subject of booster vaccinations. “The Standing Vaccination Commission is currently examining very intensively whether it will recommend booster vaccinations for all population groups,” Mertens told the newspapers of the Funke media group (Tuesday). There are data from international studies that speak in favor of it, but it must be examined to what extent these results can be transferred to Germany. “A decision about this will be made in a few weeks,” said Mertens. With such a general recommendation for booster vaccinations, the decisive question is whether this could slow down the spread of the virus, said Mertens.
In the ZDF “heute journal”, Mertens explained on Monday evening that it was first of all very important to vaccinate for the third time those people who would have the highest risk of getting seriously ill with a corona infection. “These are the old people over 70. These are the people who have a disturbed immune system (…), and ultimately they are also the people with certain previous illnesses.” It was “impractical” to demand that the entire population should now receive a third vaccination in one fell swoop.
Source From: Stern
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