For many parents it is a great relief that after weeks of uncertainty and waiting, children under the age of twelve are now being offered the vaccination against corona.
The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) was not able to come up with a general recommendation for this age group, but only did so for children with previous illnesses or with regular contact with high-risk patients in the family.
But enabling the vaccination after consultation with the pediatrician and after consultation with the parents is an important step in the fight against the pandemic.
It is true that STIKO members correctly point out that healthy children should not be immunized in order to break the corona waves for which unvaccinated adults are responsible.
However, the psychosocial consequences for many children who have to stay at home again because of outbreaks of infection in schools, as in Saxony, are serious.
If the suspicion proves that the more infectious Omicron variant leads to significantly more sick children, the assessment of the benefit of the vaccination will change anyway.
The comment by STIKO chairman Thomas Mertens that he would not have his children vaccinated has contributed to the uncertainty of many parents who have to make the vaccination decision.
A sentence that the scientist now regrets as a mistake.