Vaccination

If you have medical-related questions on the topic of the Covid-19 vaccination (not administrative or legal questions), please feel free to contact our Occupational Medical Service in confidence. Dr. Hannes Strebl is available either by phone (+49 9131 85 22305) or by e-mail (hannes.strebl@fau.de). Please be sure to include a phone number where you can be reached.

The main reason behind the 2G rule is to prevent non-vaccinated people from contracting coronavirus and thereby to protect them from developing a severe form of the disease and the possible consequences this may entail. In the hospitals, the vast majority of patients being treated for Covid are either not vaccinated or, if they have been vaccinated, the level of protection afforded by their vaccine has been compromised either due to their advanced age or as a result of immunosuppressive therapy.

No, this is certainly not true: Hygiene – including meticulous hand hygiene and physical distancing, as well as the obligation to wear a mask – remains vitally important, as even those who are vaccinated can still carry and transmit the virus to others. In other words: By wearing a mask, vaccinated individuals do not only protect themselves, they also protect every one else close to them, especially those who have not been vaccinated.

Because the vaccine has been proven to protect virtually everyone from severe illness or even death as the result of an infection with SARS-CoV-2. What that means is that although someone who is vaccinated may carry the virus temporarily in their upper respiratory tract, the vaccine prevents a ‘systemic spread’ of the virus throughout the body. In addition, an asymptomatic vaccinated individual sheds the virus over a much shorter time period than someone who has not been vaccinated.

A breakthrough infection is when someone who is fully vaccinated actually becomes ill and develops real symptoms such as a sore throat or a temperature.

There are a number of possible reasons. One reason is that no vaccine (whether for Covid or for other illnesses) provides 100% protection.

Some people fail to develop an immune response to a vaccine (known as primary vaccine failure). These people may then fall ill in spite of having received a vaccine.

Then there are other people with underlying medical conditions who only develop an insufficient immune response to vaccines. This may include people who have a suppressed immune system as a result of taking certain medication, for example after an organ transplant or as the result of an autoimmune disease. People with a suppressed immune system not only develop significantly less immunity after a vaccination, they are also at risk of developing a severe case of SARS-CoV-2.

That apart, the protection afforded by a vaccine also tends to wane after a certain period of time, as is the case with many other vaccines as well, and may lead to what is known as secondary vaccine failure. This is the reason why the Standing Committee on Vaccination has recommended a booster vaccination after 6 months for all vulnerable individuals (e.g. the elderly > the age of 70 or patients with a suppressed immune system) and for all people who have a particularly high risk of exposure and/or are in contact with patients or other individuals at a higher risk (e.g. medical staff, care home workers). The recommendations were issued on 24 September and 7 October 2021 respectively. The STIKO will soon recommend a booster vaccination for everyone 18 years of age.