The new virus variant, called XEC, is more contagious than its predecessors. In addition, the cold season with indoor gatherings is approaching. This increases the risk of infection.
Corona vaccination in autumn: Switzerland and Germany only recommend it for people at risk. The USA recommends it for adults and children over 6 years of age.
Eibner / Imago
Who should get vaccinated?
In the Switzerland as well as in Deutschland A repeat corona vaccination is only recommended for people who have a higher risk of becoming seriously ill with Covid-19. This so-called risk group includes older people. Switzerland specifies 65 years as the age limit, Germany 60 years.
The risk group also includes people with pre-existing conditions such as cardiovascular problems, cancer, obesity, diabetes, a weakened immune system or people with trisomy 21. In Switzerland, these people should be vaccinated if they are older than 16 years, in Germany, those aged 6 months and over. In Switzerland, a booster vaccination is also recommended for all pregnant women, in Germany only for those with existing conditions.
The German Vaccination Commission also recommends that residents of care facilities and medical professionals who have direct contact with people in the risk group receive a further booster vaccination.
I am not in the risk group. Can a second vaccination help me?
Healthy people who have already come into contact with the coronavirus three times – whether through vaccinations or infections – are not recommended to receive another booster. This is because the multiple battles that the immune system has fought with the coronavirus have built up protection against severe Covid-19 disease. This applies to almost all vaccinated and recovered people.
However, healthy people can also benefit from a second vaccination. The injection could also protect them from further infection. However, experts cannot currently predict how high this protection actually is. This depends primarily on whether the corona variant against which people were previously vaccinated will dominate this autumn. It is also unclear how high the probability of becoming infected will be. It depends on how many viruses are floating around in trams and offices, for example, and how many infections there are in your circle of friends.
In contrast to Switzerland and Germany, the health authority recommends CDC In the USA, all people over the age of 6 are being advised to receive another corona vaccination with an adapted vaccine in the coming weeks as a preventative measure. Specific rules apply to younger children.
Can another vaccination be harmful?
In very rare cases, corona vaccinations can cause health damage. However, according to studies, these usually occur after the first vaccination. Repeating corona vaccinations therefore poses no greater risk than a single injection, experts on both sides of the Atlantic emphasize.
When should you get vaccinated?
The booster should be administered from mid-October. This is when the peak season for respiratory diseases begins. Since the antibodies against the coronavirus produced by the immune system after vaccination only circulate in the body in large numbers for a few months, the greatest protection is available precisely during the peak virus season. However, the booster should not be administered until at least six months after the last vaccination or infection.
It feels like the virus season is starting earlier this year, is that true?
Yes, there are currently actually more infections than last September. Since more corona infections occurred this summer in Switzerland, Germany and many other countries worldwide than in previous summers, this year’s autumn-winter wave is starting at a higher level. The cause of the summer wave was the rapid spread of particularly contagious virus variants from the so-called Flirt family since April.
Can a corona vaccination be combined with another vaccination?
Yes. Studies have shown that simultaneous vaccination with different vaccines is both well tolerated and effectively stimulates the immune system. It is recommended that people in the risk group get vaccinated against corona and influenza at the same time. Older people are also recommended to be vaccinated against RSV in the autumn. This is another virus that causes severe respiratory diseases. So-called passive immunization against RSV is available for infants and young children. This involves injecting special antibodies against this virus.
Are there new corona vaccines adapted to the virus?
Yes. In the EU, the USA and also in Switzerland, mRNA vaccines adapted to new variants are available. Approval for an adapted vaccine for the peptide vaccine from Novavax is expected to be available from October.
In Europe, however, slightly different mRNA vaccines were approved than in the USA. In this country, the products from Pfizer/Biontech and Moderna each contain components of the virus variant JN.1, while in the USA they contain components of KP.2. JN.1 was the variant that triggered the high wave of infections in winter 2023/2024. In the spring, it was then displaced by the flirt variants KP.2 and, shortly thereafter, KP.3.
But a new Sars-CoV-2 variant called XEC has now developed and is spreading rapidly. It was first discovered in Germany in June. It is more contagious, but according to all experience so far, not more dangerous. It is not yet certain whether it will be able to prevail worldwide and then be the driver of the coming autumn wave.
Although the available vaccines are not precisely adapted to the virus variants currently circulating, studies show that they provide reliable protection against severe Covid disease – but are likely to be significantly less effective against infection.
Are there any new corona variants of concern?
Not at the moment. The coronavirus is constantly evolving, and variants are constantly emerging that are genetically slightly different. Currently, all discovered coronavirus variants are descendants of Omicron. “As long as they all descend from Omicron, I’m relaxed,” says virologist Sandra Ciesek from the University of Frankfurt.
Some of the new variants manage to infect us because there are not enough suitable antibodies patrolling the body. The more changes a new variant has, the easier it can escape these watchdogs of our immune system.
Does a renewed corona infection increase the risk of long Covid?
It is not yet possible to say for sure. In principle, long Covid can develop after any Covid-19 infection. But there is evidence that the risk increases the more viruses circulate in the body. But an immune system prepared by vaccinations and previous infections ensures that there are fewer viruses in the body if you become infected again. Accordingly, the risk of long Covid after a renewed corona infection could be much smaller than the first time.
Do the self-tests still work?
Yes, as long as their expiration date has not yet expired, the usual self-tests work. However, they only reliably detect any corona infection if the infected person shows symptoms.
