Video series
Why do I need a first and second vaccination? How safe and effective are vector-based vaccines? How long will I have immunity after being vaccinated? Can different vaccines be combined? Is there a risk of long-term consequences? Doctors answer the most important questions about the Corona vaccination – in our video series #vaccinefacts.
4 min reading time
#vaccinefacts – Part 19
The vaccine by Novavax has been available in Germany since the end of February. The vaccine is based on a traditional principle. It is safe and effective, explains Professor Carsten Watzl from TU Dortmund.
#vaccinefacts
With the Omicron variant of the coronavirus, vaccination also remains the most important measure, says Professor Marylyn Addo of the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE). In the latest #vaccinefacts video, she also explains what is special about the mutation.
#vaccinefacts – Part 17
Some people are concerned about the possibility of long-term consequences from COVID-19 vaccinations, i.e. side effects which could allegedly occur in the distant future. Prof. Carsten Watzl from TU Dortmund explains why there is no cause for concern - and why waiting for an “inactivated vaccine” can be a risky move.
#vaccinefacts – Part 16
An effective immune response is important to provide protection against illness with the SARS-CoV-2 virus. The longer ago the vaccination took place, the more time the immune response triggered by the vaccination has to decline, explains Professor Leif Erik Sander, infectologist at the Charité Berlin. This is why booster vaccinations are particularly recommended for older people this autumn.
#vaccinefacts – Part 15
Professor Leif Erik Sander, infectologist at the Charité Berlin, explains which threats could result in autumn from the Delta variant of the coronavirus. The highly infectious Delta variant is particularly dangerous for people who are not vaccinated and can lead to severe cases of COVID-19.
#vaccinefacts – Part 14
Prof. Sabine Wicker is the head of occupational health at the University Hospital Frankfurt am Main and deputy Chairperson of the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO). In this video, she explains that the challenge to our immune system sometimes needs to be reinforced with particular vaccines via a second dose. This optimises the level of protection and helps to maintain it in the long term.
#vaccinefacts – Part 13
The recommendations by the Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) for the AstraZeneca vaccine have been amended twice – which has caused some people to feel unsure. General practitioner and STIKO member Prof. Eva Hummers from the University of Göttingen explains why the AstraZeneca vaccine is actually a very good one – and that it has an especially positive ratio of risk to benefit, particularly for people over 60.
#vaccinefacts – Part 12
Infectologist Prof. Marylyn Addo from the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) explains that it is not all that unusual for some vaccines to only be administered once, like the flu vaccines. Early studies with the Johnson&Johnson vaccine showed that just one dose already led to a large number of certain antibodies in the blood.
#vaccinefacts – Part 11
Virologist Prof. Ulrike Protzer from the TUM and the Helmholtz Zentrum München explains why we will most certainly have 12 months’ protection after a COVID-19 vaccination – possibly even considerably longer.
#vaccinefacts – Part 10
Professor Leif Erik Sander, infectologist at the Charité Berlin, explains why it is safe and no problem to have a first vaccination with Astrazeneca and a second dose with an mRNA vaccine. Sander says it could even be an advantage.
#vaccinefacts – Part 9
Infectologist Prof. Marylyn Addo from the Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf (UKE) explains that vector-based vaccines have been used in Germany and the EU for a while now - and why they are safe, well tolerated and very effective.
#vaccinefacts – Part 8
Dr Martin Terhardt, vaccination doctor and STIKO member, explains why you have to wait at the doctor’s or at the vaccination centre for 15 minutes after the vaccination. He also explains which people are recommended to stay for an observation period of 30 minutes.
#vaccinefacts – Part 7
Professor Ulrike Protzer of the Technical University of Munich and Helmholtz Zentrum München research centre explains why it makes sense to be vaccinated even after recovering from a Covid 19 infection.
#vaccinefacts – Part 6
All the vaccines which have been approved for use in the EU can protect our citizens from severe cases of the disease or being admitted to hospital. But what exactly does the effectiveness of a vaccine mean? Professor Sandra Ciesek, virologist at the University Hospital Frankfurt, explains this to us.
#vaccinefacts – Part 5
Immunologist Professor Carsten Watzl from TU Dortmund University explains that long-term consequences from vaccinations are extremely rare side effects. They appear up to two months after being vaccinated. For the majority of us, however, the vaccination is much safer than the risk of catching the coronavirus.
#vaccinefacts – Part 4
Reactions to a vaccine are an indication that your immune system is working, explains the virologist Professor Hartmut Hengel from the Albert Ludwigs University in Freiburg. Reactions to the vaccine occur immediately after inoculation, resolve swiftly and are harmless.
#vaccinefacts – Part 3
In this video Dr Marianne Röbl-Mathieu, gynaecologist and member of Germany’s Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO), explains why a COVID-19 vaccination does not in any way affect women’s fertility. In fact the German Society for Gynaecology and Obstetrics expressly recommends that women intending to become pregnant should be vaccinated against COVID-19.
#Vaccinefacts – Part 2
Lars Dölken, Professor of Virology at the University of Würzburg, explains why the “mRNA vaccines” cannot change our DNA.
#vaccinefacts – Part 1
Professor Leif Erik Sander, from Charité Berlin’s Division of Infectious Diseases, explains how the COVID-19 vaccines were tested prior to approval, and who monitors them continuously.