Germany begins booster shot vaccinations... Priority for nursing home residents aged 80 and above

[Image source=AP Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Bavaria, Germany has started administering the third dose (booster shot) of the COVID-19 vaccine.

On the 16th (local time), Klaus Holetschek, Bavaria's Minister of Health, stated, "From now on, the elderly and those in need of care can receive booster shots at vaccination centers and frontline clinics."

The priority recipients are seniors aged 80 and above, nursing home residents, individuals with immune disorders, and those requiring care while living at home.

To receive the booster shot, six months must have passed since the second dose.

Earlier, on the 2nd, German health authorities announced that booster vaccinations would begin next month for the elderly and immunocompromised individuals.

The booster shots will be administered using messenger RNA (mRNA) technology-based vaccines such as Pfizer or Moderna, and those who received two doses of the vector vaccine AstraZeneca (AZ) or one dose of Janssen can also receive the booster.

However, vector vaccine recipients will only be eligible for the booster after six months have passed since their second dose, which will be around early September, so booster vaccinations for them are expected to start after that.

In Germany, 52,678,353 people, or 63.3% of the population, have received the first dose of the COVID-19 vaccine, and 47,826,330 people, or 57.5%, have completed the second dose.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.