German state vaccination centres roll out booster jabs for teenagers
The country’s vaccination committee doesn’t specifically recommend Covid-19 boosters for under 18s - but teens are still able to get one in a number of states.
On Monday, teenagers in Rheinland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg started lining up for their Covid-19 booster shots, despite the country’s Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) currently not recommending boosters for most people aged 12-17.
Following federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach’s green light for state governments to give boosters to teenagers if they choose to, vaccines have now been made available for 12-17 year-olds in select locations in these western states, such as the Gelsenkirchen Impfzentrum.
In order to get the jab, 12-17 year-olds going there must bring a parent or legal guardian with them to the vaccination centre.
READ ALSO: German Schools Start Up Again as Omicron Cases Rise
Berlin’s state government has also confirmed that teenagers in the capital can get the jab as early as three months after their second doses. This is the same amount of time over-18s have to wait before being given an additional dose.
Teenagers receiving a booster are still restricted to getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with Moderna only being used in people over 30 years-old.
The move follows the delivery of a newly approved lower-dosed vaccine that's suitable for children aged 5-11.
Paediatricians and a handful of vaccination centres around the country starting rolling out the jabs to young children after two million doses were delivered in December.
READ ALSO: State by state: Where children in Germany can get vaccinated against Covid
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On Monday, teenagers in Rheinland-Palatinate, North Rhine-Westphalia, and Baden-Württemberg started lining up for their Covid-19 booster shots, despite the country’s Standing Committee on Vaccination (Stiko) currently not recommending boosters for most people aged 12-17.
Following federal Health Minister Karl Lauterbach’s green light for state governments to give boosters to teenagers if they choose to, vaccines have now been made available for 12-17 year-olds in select locations in these western states, such as the Gelsenkirchen Impfzentrum.
In order to get the jab, 12-17 year-olds going there must bring a parent or legal guardian with them to the vaccination centre.
READ ALSO: German Schools Start Up Again as Omicron Cases Rise
Berlin’s state government has also confirmed that teenagers in the capital can get the jab as early as three months after their second doses. This is the same amount of time over-18s have to wait before being given an additional dose.
Teenagers receiving a booster are still restricted to getting the Pfizer-BioNTech vaccine, with Moderna only being used in people over 30 years-old.
The move follows the delivery of a newly approved lower-dosed vaccine that's suitable for children aged 5-11.
Paediatricians and a handful of vaccination centres around the country starting rolling out the jabs to young children after two million doses were delivered in December.
READ ALSO: State by state: Where children in Germany can get vaccinated against Covid
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