BERLIN, 2nd August, 2021 (AFP) — From 1 September Germany will begin giving booster doses of the COVID-19 vaccine to the elderly and vulnerable, as well as those who have not received an injection of the technology. , announced the Ministry of Health on Monday (2).
“Booster vaccination will be done with one of two messenger RNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna, NDLR),” informed the ministry, adding that the decision is “in the interest of preventive health care”.
The ministry guarantees that this is based on recent studies that show a “reduced or rapidly declining immune response after full immunization against COVID-19” in certain groups, such as immunosuppressed people or the elderly.
It would also invite healthcare professionals who deal with these groups to take this additional dose.
The booster vaccine will be given “usually at least six months” after the first complete vaccination.
In addition, it will also generally recommend someone who has already received immunosuppressants from AstraZeneca or Janssen to take additional doses of messenger RNA vaccines (Pfizer or Moderna).
According to these last two laboratories, an additional dose specifically guarantees increased protection against the spread of the delta variant.
Some countries, such as Israel, have already adopted the principle of giving a booster dose against COVID-19. In others, this question generates debate.
It also raises questions among large international agencies such as the WHO and the IMF, which on Saturday called for prioritizing full immunization in less developed countries, where a very small percentage of the population is immunised.
smk / dac / miss / mb / aa
