Summer wave and persistently high number of infections do not seem to convince most Germans of a corona vaccination. According to the RKI, more than nine million people have still not received an injection. About the same number are only basic immunized. There is a lot of catching up to do, especially with a view to autumn.
In view of the corona pandemic, the Robert Koch Institute (RKI) still sees a need for millions of people to be vaccinated – although slightly more vaccinations were administered in July than in the previous month. The booster vaccination continues to protect very effectively against severe courses, even in Omicron times, which is why, in addition to starting vaccination for the unvaccinated, vaccination gaps must also be closed for those who have only had basic immunization so far, as an RKI team writes in the new monthly report on Covid 19 vaccinations.
In June, according to the RKI, the previous low in the vaccination process was reached with almost one million vaccinations in around 29,700 vaccination centers. In July, the number of vaccinating bodies continued to decrease (27,900), but at a good one million, for the first time slightly more vaccinations were registered than in the previous month, according to the report. “The downward trend in vaccination numbers that has been ongoing since the beginning of the year seems to have stopped for the first time in July.”
Nevertheless, according to the experts, around 1.3 million people over the age of 60 and around 7.8 million people under the age of 60 who are only basic immunized would have to refresh their vaccination protection with at least one vaccination. Around 7.3 million adults under the age of 60 and 1.9 million over the age of 60 would not have received a vaccination at all. Little has changed here compared to the previous month. Specifically, according to current monitoring as of the beginning of August, a good 85 percent of the adult population is basic immunized, a good 72 percent have received a first booster vaccination, almost 10 percent a second.
According to the report, there has recently been a change in the corona vaccination rate in Germany, mainly with the second booster vaccination for older people. However, according to the most recently evaluated data, the majority of residents in nursing homes have not yet received a second booster vaccination, it said. Initial vaccinations were given the least.
The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends a second booster shot for some groups, including people with suppressed immune systems, nursing home residents, people aged 70 and over, and medical facility staff. The RKI experts reaffirm in the new vaccination paper that booster vaccinations are generally highly effective against admission to the hospital because of Corona.
According to RKI information, the risk for unvaccinated people to be treated in a hospital due to Covid-19 is many times higher than for people with a booster vaccination: It is therefore 2.9 times (12 to 17 year olds), 3.3-fold (18 to 59-year-olds) and 4.8-fold (from 60-year-olds) increased. This data is from mid-May to mid-June.
