Around 5.4 million people in Germany have already received two booster vaccinations. This corresponds to approx. 6.5 percent of the total population. 59.9 percent (49.8 million) at least received a booster. Now the number of infections is rising again. Is it time for a fourth corona vaccination?
Many have not had the yellow vaccination card in their hands for a long time. Because: The third vaccination against Covid-19 was a while ago for most people, often more than half a year. If no infection with the corona virus has taken place in the meantime, it is likely that the vaccination protection will decrease. With the increasing number of infections due to the corona variants B4 and B5, some are now wondering whether a fourth corona vaccination is possible or makes sense? Important questions and answers.
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Who is recommended a second booster shot?
The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) recommends a second booster or, if necessary, a fourth corona vaccination for four groups of people:
- people over 70 years of age
- People from the age of five who are affected by an immune deficiency
- residents of nursing homes
- People who work in medical or nursing facilities
If the recommendation applies because your health is at risk, you should get the fourth vaccination no earlier than three months after the third. For medical staff, according to Stiko, at least six months should have elapsed.
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How good is the vaccination protection if the third vaccination was months ago?
Unfortunately, it is not possible to say in general whether and when a fourth corona vaccination is worthwhile for people in whom the Stiko recommendation currently not applicable. It is important to consider your personal situation. However, it is very likely that immunity to Covid-19 will decrease over time. However, the notion that one is either fully protected or not protected at all is wrong. The vaccine protection should be somewhere in between.
According to the infectiologist Christoph Spinner, senior physician and infectiologist at the University Hospital Rechts der Isar of the Technical University of Munich, the best vaccination protection is one to three months after the third vaccination. Then he dismantles. But this happens individually differently. For some it’s fast, for others it’s slower.
“In older people, the protection decreases more quickly because their immune system can no longer be trained as well by vaccination as that of younger people,” explains Spinner, who also researches corona vaccines.
Chronically ill and immunocompromised people generally respond less well to the vaccination and also lose protection more quickly, according to the infectiologist. For them, a fourth or even fifth vaccination makes more sense.
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According to Prof. Tobias Welte from the Hanover Medical School, how the vaccination protection behaves over time can also depend on gender: On average, it decreases faster in men than in women.
The director of the pneumology clinic advises not to look at a fourth corona vaccination with false expectations. “Vaccination still protects against serious illness very, very reliably,” says Welte. But the currently circulating omicron variants are easily transferrable, according to Welte. It is better not to expect the second booster to completely avoid such an infection.
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Is it possible to find out how good your own vaccination protection is at the moment?
no “You can’t measure the antibody levels across the board in order to make a decision about another vaccination,” says Tobias Welte. In the end, the individual decision also depends on what risk of infection you have due to your lifestyle – and how much contact you have with vulnerable people in everyday life.
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For whom would a fourth corona vaccination make sense?
“If the last vaccination was six months ago and someone now wants to go to festivals or major events in summer, another vaccination is probably advisable,” says Christoph Spinner. “Anyone who works from home and has few contacts outside of family and friends can certainly wait a little longer.”
Keyword timing: This can also play a role in individual decision-making. “If we only get the really strong increase in the number of cases in autumn, those who are now vaccinated will no longer have the best protection,” says Welte.
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Can a fourth corona vaccination be a disadvantage?
“A second booster vaccination is by no means a mistake if the first one was at least three months ago,” says Christoph Spinner. However, how great the benefit is depends primarily on whether you belong to a risk group and how long ago the last vaccination was.
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However, if the third and fourth vaccinations follow each other too quickly, this is of little use. “The immune system cannot react to this at all due to its limited capacities. If you keep stimulating it, there will be no further reaction,” explains Tobias Welte. For this reason, he advises keeping a gap of six months between the third and fourth vaccination.
What if I already got infected with Omikron after the third vaccination?
“Then the disease is also a kind of booster,” says Welte. However, it is unclear how long the antibodies formed in this way protect. From his point of view, you can possibly wait longer than six months with the fourth vaccination in this case. But the same applies here: There is a lack of data to make tangible recommendations.
With material from dpa
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