Despite criticism of the data basis, the Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) wants to advise citizens with corona booster vaccinations to preferably use one of the three new vaccines in the future, which are adapted to different omicron variants of the virus.

The committee announced this in a statement on Tuesday.

According to the draft of a new corona vaccination recommendation, people from the age of twelve who are already fully immunized against corona should preferably opt for the adapted vaccines for booster vaccinations.

The adapted vaccines are not approved for primary immunization.

Furthermore, the STIKO only advises people over the age of 60 and people with a weakened immune system or a high risk of infection to have a fourth vaccination.

The Commission justifies its assessment with the fact that

Kim Bjorn Becker

Editor in Politics.

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The scientists have three new vaccines in mind.

Two vaccines from the manufacturers Moderna and Biontech/Pfizer have been approved in Europe since the beginning of September.

In addition, on the recommendation of the European Medicines Agency, the EU Commission has approved another so-called bivariate vaccine from Biontech/Pfizer, which is effective against the wild type and is also adapted to the currently dominant omicron variants BA.4 and BA.5.

Federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach (SPD) announced at the beginning of the month that 14 million units of the two vaccines tailored to BA.1 should initially be delivered.

The third vaccine, adapted to BA.4 and BA.5, is said to be available 9.5 million times initially.

Lauterbach praised the STIKO draft on Tuesday.

The recommendation is an "important contribution to overcoming the pandemic," Lauterbach wrote on Twitter.

Many older people are risk carriers and "are not yet sufficiently protected against omicron variants".

For them, the vaccination can prevent severe courses and Long Covid.

"The STIKO has decided to give preference to the use of these vaccines," says Christian Bogdan, Director of the Institute for Microbiology at the University of Erlangen and member of the commission.

They are effective against the omicron variant of the virus and presumably of advantage for “further variants that may arise in the future”.

The previous vaccines could nevertheless continue to be used.

"They are not banned and anything but bad," said Bogdan.