By James Simons-
A fourth Covid-19 vaccination will be necessary in Germany to slow the spread of the omicron variant, German Health Minister Karl Lauterbach has said.The news could set a standard for other countries that feel the omicron variant is going wild and out of control, though there are many who question the point of the previous three if a fourth booster will be needed. Some scientists say the purpose of extra booster is to overcome variants that manage to evade the previous ones, adding that extra boosters boosts the immune system.
The country has ordered four million doses of the newly approved vaccine Novavax and 11 million doses of the new Valneva shot, which is waiting for marketing authorisation.
German Health officials feel the Omicron variant will become the dominant coronavirus strain in Germany within three weeks and the country has ordered 80 million doses of Omicron-specific vaccine for delivery in April or May, health officials said on Wednesday.
“An offensive booster campaign is our most important building block in the fight against Omicron,” German health minister Karl Lauterbach told a news conference on Wednesday.
“The level of protection against severe COVID-19 symptoms after a booster shot is very high. I would estimate it goes well over 90%,” he said.
The Novavax shots will arrive in the country in January, Lauterbach told a news conference.
“An offensive booster campaign is our most important building block in the fight against omicron,” the health minister said.
According to Lothar Wieler, president of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, omicron will be responsible for most coronavirus infections in Germany within three weeks.
“Christmas should not become the spark that starts the omicron blaze,” RKI chief Lothar Wieler told the same news conference, adding people should limit contacts to an absolute minimum.
Israel was the first country to offer a fourth vaccine dose to over-60s, the clinically vulnerable and medical workers.
“This is wonderful news that will assist us in getting through the omicron wave that is engulfing the world,” Naftali Bennett, the Israeli prime minister, said on Tuesday night.
Responding to questions from the Welsh Conservative leader Andrew RT Davies about the latest Covid restrictions introduced in the country, the First Minister said: “We’re not on an unstoppable journey to lockdown.
“If we act together and do all the things we’re able to do in our own lives, we have a chance to make a difference.
“There are lots of things we don’t know about omicron and how it will affect us, so I can’t rule things out.
“But the measures we’ve announced are designed to mitigate the risk that more serious interventions are needed.”
The UK Health Security Agency is set to publish data on the severity of the disease, which is expected to say that more people are likely to have a mild illness with less serious symptoms.
The political site Politico reported the findings this morning. It says that while omicron seems milder overall, the UKHSA has found it is not necessarily mild enough to avoid large numbers of hospitalisations. The experts have found evidence that for those who do become severely ill, there is still a high chance of hospitalisation and death.
Given that the transmissibility of omicron is very high, there is the chance that even though it is milder, infections could soar to the point that large numbers end up in hospital .
According to Lothar Wieler, president of Germany’s Robert Koch Institute (RKI) for infectious diseases, omicron will be responsible for most coronavirus infections in Germany within three weeks.
“Christmas should not become the spark that starts the omicron blaze,” RKI chief Lothar Wieler told the same news conference, adding people should limit contacts to an absolute minimum.
The Italian government is preparing new measures to battle a surge in Covid infections and might make vaccinations obligatory for more categories of workers, Prime Minister Mario Draghi said today.
Key officials are due to meet tomorrow to discuss tightening Covid curbs as concerns grow over the highly infectious omicron variant.
“They have already been extended to some categories, and we’ll consider extending it to other categories. I don’t know if we will talk about it tomorrow … but if data on contagions continue to worsen it will be the subject of discussion in a very short while,” Draghi said.
In an effort to curb infections, the government has already made vaccinations mandatory for health care workers, teachers, law enforcement officers and the military.
Our border measures will help to buy us time to study and understand the omicron variant, and to strengthen our defences, including enhancing our healthcare capacity, and getting more people vaccinated and boosted.
10:1people are likely to have a mild illness with less serious symptoms.
Given that the transmissibility of omicron is very high, there is the chance that even though it is milder, infections could soar to the point that large numbers end up in hospital .
He added: “We shouldn’t target these people who are unvaccinated in a heavy-handed way, but we should be trying to go after them and persuade them.
“There may be all sorts of reasons, but honestly it is in their own interest, never mind the public interest, for them to get vaccinated.”