Corona vaccine recommended for children with these previous illnesses

The European Medicines Agency (EMA) recommends the use of the BioNTech/Pfizer corona vaccine in children aged five to eleven years. The Standing Vaccination Commission (STKO) recommends the vaccine for children with the following pre-existing conditions.

Children and young people are also among the victims of the pandemic – the incidence among schoolchildren is particularly high due to face-to-face teaching in schools, and vaccination could reduce the number of infections.

Vaccination Ü5: One third of the adult dose required

The European Commission also approved the EMA recommendation at the end of November. The mRNA vaccine from BioNTech/Pfizer was previously only approved for children and adolescents over the age of 12, but younger children are already being vaccinated in other countries such as the USA and Israel.

The corona vaccination for children contains a third of the usual dose and is injected twice into the upper arm at intervals of three to six weeks.

Standing Vaccination Committee makes recommendations

The Standing Vaccination Commission (STIKO) now recommends the corona vaccination for children aged five to eleven years, provided they have previous illnesses. Vaccination is also recommended for children who have contact people in the area who are at high risk of developing a severe course of COVID-19.

As soon as further relevant knowledge about possible side effects is available, the vaccination recommendation should be expanded.

Corona vaccination recommended from the age of five for these pre-existing conditions

Since children with certain previous illnesses also have an increased risk of becoming seriously ill with COVID-19, they should be vaccinated according to the STIKO.

Vaccination at the age of five to 17 years is recommended for the following pre-existing conditions:

• Adiposities  (> 97. Perzentile des BMI)
• Immunodeficiency or immunosuppression
• congenital cyanotic heart defects with resting oxygen saturation below 80 percent and single-chamber hearts after Fontan surgery
• chronic lung diseases
• severe or uncontrolled bronchial asthma
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic neurological or neuromuscular diseases
• Diabetes  mellitus if not well controlled or with an HbA1c value > 9.0 percent
• severe  heart failure
• severe pulmonary  hypertension
• syndromic diseases with severe impairment
• Trisomy 21
• Tumor diseases and malignant hematological diseases

However, at the request of the parents, children without previous illnesses can also be vaccinated.