A new corona vaccine is to be delivered in Germany from February 21. The Standing Vaccination Commission has given its assessment – and also considered a second booster vaccination.
In addition to the previous Covid-19 vaccines, the Standing Vaccination Committee (Stiko) is in favor of using the Novavax corona vaccine for people aged 18 and over.
She also advocates a second booster shot for high-risk groups and health and care workers. This was announced by the panel of experts on two draft resolutions. The Novavax vaccine should be used for primary immunization with two doses at least three weeks apart in adults. However, the vaccine is currently not recommended for pregnant and breastfeeding women.
These are not final Stiko recommendations, a coordination process with professional societies and countries is still ongoing. Changes are still possible.
Novavax, a protein vaccine
The preparation Nuvaxovid from the US manufacturer Novavax, which has been approved in the EU since the end of December, is – unlike the other approved vaccines – a protein vaccine with an effect enhancer. “In the approval studies, the vaccine showed an efficacy comparable to that of the mRNA vaccines,” explained Stiko. However, no statements can yet be made on the clinical effectiveness against the omicron variant.
Many experts think it is conceivable that some people who have not yet been vaccinated are still waiting for alternatives to the corona vaccines from Biontech/Pfizer, Astrazeneca, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson that are available in Germany. Because Nuvaxovid is based on a different technology, the preparation is also seen as a further hope in the fight against the vaccination gap in Germany. However, experts keep emphasizing that hesitation makes little sense.
First delivery of 1.4 million doses
In Germany, the Novavax vaccinations could start at the end of February or beginning of March. The Federal Ministry of Health expects the first delivery of 1.4 million doses in the week starting February 21. For employees in nursing and in clinics, vaccination will take effect from mid-March. The health ministers of the federal states had spoken out in favor of giving the Novavax vaccine priority to previously unvaccinated employees in the affected facilities, according to a decision by the ministers on January 22.
With Novavax, Stiko assumes that the vaccination reactions are similar to those of the other approved vaccines against the corona virus. “The approval studies did not reveal any safety concerns regarding serious adverse effects after vaccination,” writes Stiko. However, the data is still limited.
Fourth vaccination for specific groups
In addition, there should be a second booster vaccination for people over 70, people in care facilities, people with immunodeficiency from the age of five and employees in medical and care facilities. From the point of view of the committee, this should be administered with an mRNA vaccine after the primary immunization and the first booster vaccination have been completed. In the case of people at risk of health, it should take place no earlier than three months after the first booster vaccination, and in the case of staff in medical and nursing facilities no earlier than after six months.
To justify this, the committee stated that current data showed a dwindling protection against infection after the first booster vaccination against the omicron variant within a few months. This is a risk especially for people over 70 and people with immunodeficiency, who are most at risk for a severe course of an infection. The second booster should now improve the protection.
There is no final clarity about the duration of the immune protection after the first booster vaccination – and experts emphasize how important it is to differentiate between people with a healthy immune system and people with a weak immune system. They refer to the vaccination situation in Israel, where hundreds of thousands have already received a fourth vaccination. After people over 60, the immunocompromised and medical staff, all adults with previous illnesses can now take advantage of the second booster.
However, no further booster is recommended for people who have had a corona infection after the first booster vaccination, according to Stiko. The second booster can be assumed to have a similar level of tolerability as the first. However, the panel also stated that the data situation was still limited.
Federal Minister of Health Karl Lauterbach (SPD) wrote via Twitter: “Stiko’s decision to give the elderly and risk patients a fourth vaccination is correct and provides additional security for these people. Nevertheless, initial vaccinations and boosters must remain our priority.”
Source: Stern
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