The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends a booster shot for everyone aged 12 and over. The booster should be an mRNA vaccine and should be administered at least six months after your last jab or your most recent SARS-CoV-2 infection. In certain justified cases, this period may be reduced to four months.
The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends a second booster shot for people aged 60 or over, people living in or receiving care in nursing homes, people with weakened immune systems aged 5 or over, and people who work in medical or care facilities.
Those who are particularly at risk should receive the second booster shot in the form of an mRNA vaccine no sooner than three months after the first booster. Those who work in medical or care facilities should get the second booster no sooner than six months after their first booster jab.
STIKO does not recommend a further booster shot for people who catch COVID-19 after receiving their first booster.
A booster dose is also recommended for people who have already had COVID-19. If you caught COVID-19 after receiving a first or second dose of the vaccine, you should not get the booster shot until at least three months have passed since you had the infection or received your last dose of the vaccine. Even if you are currently unvaccinated and have caught COVID-19 three or more times, we still recommend getting a booster jab in order to achieve maximum (hybrid) immunity.
Yes. The booster vaccination also provides greater protection against coronavirus during pregnancy. Since the COVID-19 vaccination is well tolerated by pregnant women and there is sufficient safety data available for the second and third trimesters, the general recommendation is that pregnant women receive a booster shot from their second trimester onwards. The booster shot should be Comirnaty (BioNTech/Pfizer) and be administered at least three months after the second vaccination. There is not enough data available yet to make a general recommendation for vaccinations in the first trimester of pregnancy.
The recommended booster shot comprises a single dose of one of the two approved mRNA vaccines (Comirnaty® from BioNTech/Pfizer or Spikevax® from Moderna). Due to the different side-effect profile, especially in younger individuals, it is considered safer for people under 30 years of age to exclusively get the Biontech/Pfizer vaccine as their booster shot. In the case of Biontech/Pfizer, the full dose should be used for the booster shot; in the case of Moderna, half the dose of the primary vaccination should be used for the booster shot.
No, the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) recommends the mRNA vaccines Comirnaty® (BioNTech) or Spikevax® (Moderna) for the booster dose. The protein-based COVID-19 vaccine Nuvaxovid® from Novavax is used as the primary course of vaccination for people aged 12 and over.
In principle, there is nothing to be said against receiving the vaccinations in parallel.
A simple cold should not prevent you from getting vaccinated. However, if you have a fever, it may be better to wait before getting vaccinated. Clarification with your general practitioner is recommended here.
It is difficult to estimate the individual severity of vaccination reactions. Studies show that the booster shot is well tolerated similar to the initial immunisation.
Anyone who has been vaccinated with a COVID-19 vaccine that is not approved in the EU will need to get a new primary course of vaccination. This is the only way to get fully vaccinated status in the EU. You will need to wait at least 28 days before starting your new series of vaccinations.
Vaccination services and appointments
You can get your vaccination from any one of the approximately registered 7,000 general practitioners; it is also available from dentists and at pharmacies. All in all, Baden-Württemberg has the capacity to deliver around 810,000 doses a week.
Yes, in order to receive a booster shot, proof of the first and second vaccinations in the form of the yellow vaccination card, the digital vaccination certificate, or a replacement vaccination certificate, a photo ID, and, in the case of persons with immunodeficiency or under immunosuppressive therapy, an appropriate medical certificate, previous medical findings, or a doctor’s letter must be presented.
Proof of COVID-19 vaccination can now only be submitted in the form of a QR code. The German yellow vaccination card is no longer sufficient. The QR code is on the digital vaccination certificate, which you will either be given at your vaccination appointment or will be able to collect from the pharmacy after completing your vaccination by presenting your yellow vaccination card. The QR code can then be scanned in the Corona Warn app or the CovPass app, though it is also valid in its paper form.
The vaccination is paid for by the federal government. This means that an insurance card is not required. Vaccination is usually also possible regardless of residence status.
