Berlin. The booster vaccination is currently not recommended for everyone. But a study shows: It offers particular advantages, especially in one constellation.
There is currently no general recommendation for booster vaccinations against Corona. The Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko) advises people aged 60 and over The risk group to a booster if the last vaccination or infection was more than twelve months ago. But many people wonder whether they can actually only protect themselves or others from infection with a refresher – the elderly or the sick, for example. One Study the University Medical Center Halle provides an answer to this. It was published in the specialist journal “Infection”.
Bianca Klee and Sophie Diexer from the Institute for Medical Epidemiology, Biometrics and Informatics at the University Medical Center Halle had used 262 households with 662 people examined how the risk of infection changes over time if you live with a person suffering from Covid-19. Around two thirds of the people had been vaccinated at least three times, twelve percent had not received any vaccination at the time of infection.
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Lower risk of transmission with mild corona symptoms
The study participants had Klee and Diexer immediately after the onset of one Infection informed about the omicron variant of Sars-CoV-2. They then received test kits for blood samples, symptom diaries and access to an online questionnaire from the University Medical Center in Halle. Another sample was taken six to eight weeks after the end of the acute infection. The study team determined the number of corona antibodies in the laboratory from the blood samples collected.
As a result, approximately 58 percent of household members became infected after the initial infection in the household, with an average delay of three days. The Risk of infection was lower when the initial infection was associated with mild symptoms. The longer ago the previous infection or vaccination, the more likely infection was.
Booster vaccination: “I would fully emphasize that”
The risk increased uniformly within a year and was similar for vaccination and previous infection. If the vaccination or infection was still “fresh”, the risk of transmission was around 20 percent. After six months Household members became infected in every second case. After one year, the risk was 80 percent.
The study from Halle provides arguments for several conclusions: A vaccination cannot completely prevent the virus from being passed on, but it can significantly reduce the risk of transmission, especially in the first few weeks. “I would fully emphasize that,” says scientist Bianca Klee. This only applies because a Basic protection before Corona can alleviate the symptoms in the event of an infection. “And according to our study, that in turn is an important factor.”
Accordingly, for Bianca Klee, the Stiko recommendation makes sense that staff in medical facilities with direct patient contact should be vaccinated. From their point of view, the same could apply to people who… relatives live together with or care for a risk group.
