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16 German states to offer booster dose against Covid-19 to ‘vulnerable citizens’
The category of citizens would be administered mRNA-vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna irrespective of the jabs they had originally been inoculated with, the health ministers of the states said.
Germany will commence inoculating booster shots against coronavirus disease (Covid-19) to its ‘vulnerable citizens’ such as pensioners and those who are immunocompromised in September, the health ministers of 16 states said in a statement on Monday, Reuters reported. The ministers also agreed to make vaccination available for all children in the age group of 12 and 17.
The citizens will be inoculated with mRNA-vaccines from Pfizer-BioNTech and Moderna irrespective of the jabs they had originally been administered; the ministers confirmed following discourse with the federal health minister Jens Spahn.
This development comes amid speculations of the country imposing curbs and lockdowns owing to the rise of cases from the Delta variant of Covid-19, even as Europe’s largest economy sees an approaching general election next month, the Reuters report added.
The 16 states manage their own health affairs, and are keen on administering coronavirus vaccines to more people in order to keep the fourth wave of the virus outbreak at bay. A little over 52% of the population has been fully vaccinated and nearly 62% have received at least one jab.
The ministers pointed out that vaccinated children between 12 and 17 is voluntary, and will only be proceeded with after parental consent and a medical check-up that negates any serious health risk, is provided.
Notably, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced in May that the country will begin offering coronavirus vaccine jabs to children aged over 12 from June 12 onwards. “The main message to parents is: there will be no compulsory vaccinations,” she told reporters at the time.
Merkel had, however, urged parents to be patient saying that not every parent would get an appointment to get their child vaccinated against coronavirus.
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Canada and the US have already started administering vaccine doses to children over 12.
Nearly 10% of the 4.5 million children in Germany in the said age group have already been fully vaccinated. Meanwhile, the country has been witnessing over 2,000 new cases every day since Wednesday. The seven-day average incidence stood at barely under 18 per 100,000 on Monday, according to Reuters.
