Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) also recommends a fourth corona vaccination for people under the age of 60.

"If someone wants to enjoy the summer and doesn't want to take the risk of getting sick, then I would of course recommend the vaccination to younger people in consultation with the family doctor," Lauterbach told the "Spiegel" on Thursday about a second booster vaccination.

"Then you simply have a completely different level of security."

The long-Covid risk is “significantly reduced for a few months”, as is the risk of infection.

A vaccine adapted to the dominant omicron variant could also be taken after the fourth vaccination.

Such a vaccine could be available in late August or early September, but that depends on approval, said the health minister.

STIKO only recommends a fourth vaccination from the age of 70

Lauterbach thus goes beyond the recommendations of the EU and the Standing Vaccination Commission.

On Monday, the EU recommended a second booster vaccination for people over the age of 60.

In Germany, the STIKO has so far recommended a second booster vaccination for people over the age of 70, at-risk patients and residents of care facilities and employees in the medical field and in care facilities.

The statement that after a second booster vaccination there is "no risk" of contracting the disease is likely to cause contradiction.

Just a few days ago, Federal Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said that a month after a corona infection, she was still suffering from the consequences: "It really hit me, despite the quadruple vaccination."

The number of registered corona patients in intensive care units in hospitals has risen to 1218.

It is thus almost twice as high as on June 9, with a clear upward trend.

The number of free beds in intensive care units was 2770 on Thursday.

According to the RKI weekly report on Thursday evening, the number of corona outbreaks in old people's and nursing homes has recently increased significantly again.

Outbreaks with at least one new case were reported to the Robert Koch Institute in the past week from 235 of these facilities.

In the previous week there were 192.

The 80-year-olds continue to be most affected by severe disease progression.

In this age group, around 25 per 100,000 inhabitants came to the hospital last week with a severe respiratory infection and Covid-19.

Across all age groups, this value was 3.7 – that corresponds to around 3100 new hospital admissions per week.