Under 60-year-olds receive BionTech during the second vaccination.
Everyone who has not yet reached the age of 60 and who has already received a first vaccination with the vaccine from AstraZeneca will in future be offered the serum from BionTech as a second vaccine in the vaccination centre of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district. This is provided for in the vaccine planning of the state of Hesse.
Since April, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) of the Robert Koch Institute has only recommended the AstraZeneca vaccine for people aged 60 and over. However, many people under 60 have already received a first vaccination with the vaccine. They are therefore offered the BionTech vaccine at their second vaccination appointment. This is also the plan of the state of Hesse for the allocation of the available vaccines. The vaccination centre of the district therefore does not currently receive any vaccine from AstraZeneca for people under 60 years of age.
Although the federal government has lifted the prioritisation for Astrazeneca, this vaccine is primarily to be vaccinated to people over 60 years of age. "For this reason, we are therefore unable to offer vaccination with AstraZeneca to people under 60 years of age who, contrary to the STIKO recommendation, would still like to receive the vaccine at their own responsibility" explains the head of the vaccination centre Gerhard Biederbick. "There is unfortunately no choice of vaccine." However, the second vaccination - also with the vaccine from BionTech - completes the vaccination series completely: people who have received two different vaccines are considered fully vaccinated. They receive a vaccination certificate.
The Standing Commission on Vaccination rates the administration of two different vaccines as effective and safe. From a medical point of view, Thomas Hetche, head of the district health department, sees advantages in the so-called cross-vaccination - i.e. the combination of two different vaccines: "Both vaccines use different techniques to stimulate the immune system," says the medical officer. Moreover, this approach is nothing entirely new. It is also common practice in other countries such as the USA. "Vaccination - regardless of the vaccine - aims to achieve one goal: To form defences against the so-called spike protein of the coronavirus! And all vaccines currently licensed here achieve that." According to the RKI, experts even suspect a higher effectiveness with the combination of two different vaccines.
According to the STIKO, a higher efficacy is also given in particular if the period between the first and second vaccination is increased. After a first vaccination with the active substance from AstraZeneca, the STIKO therefore currently recommends that the second vaccination be carried out after twelve weeks - regardless of which vaccine is used for the second vaccination. This is also common practice in the vaccination centre of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district: vaccinees who were first vaccinated by the vaccination centre with AstraZeneca have therefore already received a vaccination offer for the second vaccination with a twelve-week interval. Due to the STIKO recommendation and the state's plans for vaccine supply, the publicly discussed shortening of the vaccination interval from twelve to four weeks is therefore not possible at the vaccination centre of the Waldeck-Frankenberg district.