For the fourth vaccination against the corona virus, the standards should be as uniform as possible in the EU.
The EU health ministers have agreed on this goal.
Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) said after a ministerial meeting in Brussels that the EU Commission should present a proposal within a week if possible.
He expressed the expectation that the Brussels authorities would follow the recommendation made by him and several of his colleagues to propose a fourth corona vaccination for everyone over the age of 60.
Werner Mussler
Business correspondent in Brussels.
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This position should be coordinated with the EU health authorities, especially with the drug authority EMA, said Lauterbach.
It could "also be an important compass for Germany for dealing with the second boost".
With a view to the coming winter
According to the incumbent Council President, French Department Head Olivier Véran, a “coordinated position” on this issue can be expected in the coming days.
To date, the Member States have not had a common position on revaccination.
A Commission proposal would only be a guide for them;
In the end, the states decide on the rules themselves. EU Health Commissioner Stella Kyriakides said that a unified strategy is particularly important with a view to the coming winter.
In Brussels, Lauterbach referred to a study from Israel, according to which a fourth vaccination dose “can reduce mortality by another 80 percent compared to the third vaccination”.
The pandemic situation in Europe is “worse than people feel”.
In Germany, the fourth dose is currently recommended for people over 70 years old and at risk patients with certain pre-existing conditions, in France for people over 80 years old.
In the United States, the FDA has approved the second booster vaccine for adults over 50 and for people with compromised immune systems.
The booster is possible at the earliest four months after the last vaccination.