The new Omicron variant BA.4 is currently contributing to a new wave of CoV in South Africa. In Vienna, too, there are already almost 30 documented cases. Whether and for whom a fourth vaccination is valid, the city and the National Vaccination Committee disagree.
The new Omicron variant BA.4 is one of the drivers of the currently rising fifth wave of infection in South Africa, according to Andreas Bergthaler, virologist and immunologist at MedUni Vienna. The variant has already arrived in Vienna as well, with “less than 30 cases” under investigation.
Different opinions on the fourth vaccination
Those who are now considering getting the fourth vaccination are encountering differing opinions. The city recommends the fourth vaccination for all at-risk and high-risk patients of all ages and people over the age of 65. They should get a booster four months after the third partial vaccination.
Herwig Kollaritsch, vaccination expert and member of the National Vaccination Panel, disagrees: “I see it in a differentiated way. One must not forget that if I now take a fourth vaccination at the beginning of May, I will probably need a fifth sting in October. In the ” Wien Heute ” interview, everyone has to decide whether these short intervals make sense for them,” Kollaritsch said in the “Wien Heute” interview.
The city recommends then also fifth vaccination
The National Vaccination Committee recommends such a rapid booster only for high-risk patients. The city sees it differently: Continuous vaccination protection is better. There is nothing to be said against a fifth vaccination when the autumn wave comes, according to the office of Peter Hacker (SPÖ), city councilor for health.
- source: wien.ORF.at/picture:Bild von Gerd Altmann auf Pixabay
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