The standing committee on vaccination in Germany, the Stiko, has given the nod for all individuals aged above 12 years to get vaccinated against COVID-19.

Germany’s disease control agency stated that the Stiko noted that data particularly from the United States, which has vaccinated around 10 million adolescents, indicate that the benefits of the vaccines outweigh the risks for children and adolescents. The Stiko further stated that vaccination is also recommended now as the committee anticipates that children have a greater risk of contracting the infection during the fourth wave of infections with the dominant highly transmissible Delta variant in the country.

Earlier, the Stiko had stated that enough data was not available to recommend the vaccination for all youngsters, and had recommended the vaccines only for children and teenagers who had underlying chronic diseases… (Money Control – PTI, August 16, 2021)