Summarised by Centrist
Germany has stopped routinely recommending COVID-19 vaccination for most healthy people under 75, citing widespread immunity and a continuing decline in severe illness.
The country’s Standing Committee on Vaccination, known as STIKO, said much of the adult population now has “hybrid immunity” gained through a combination of vaccination and previous infection.
It concluded that most adults are therefore sufficiently protected against severe COVID-19 and no longer need to establish a baseline level of immunity through further vaccination.
The change also applies to healthy pregnant women without underlying medical conditions or pregnancy-related complications. STIKO said severe COVID-19 cases during pregnancy had become “very rare”.
Routine vaccination will now be recommended primarily for people aged 75 and older, the group in which COVID-related deaths are increasingly concentrated.
Vaccination will still be recommended for younger people considered at greater risk because of underlying illnesses, including some pregnant women, and others whose personal circumstances increase their likelihood of severe disease.
The committee said the change reflected falling case numbers, hospitalisations and deaths, as well as the development of a more predictable seasonal pattern.
Earlier guidance recommended annual vaccination from age 60 and advised adults who lacked sufficient previous vaccination or infection exposure to establish baseline immunity.
Germany has removed its general recommendation because it considers most people under 75 already adequately protected against severe disease.
