COVID-19 and vaccination: Answers from Professor Dr. Tobias Welte
Author
Professor Dr. Tobias Welte, Director of the Clinic for Pneumology at Hannover Medical School
Professor Dr. Tobias Welte answers questions from Alpha1 Deutschland eV on the topic of COVID-19 and vaccination:
What is your general recommendation: should we Alpha1 patients get vaccinated against COVID-19, provided a vaccine is available?
Initially, there will not be enough vaccine available to vaccinate a large portion of the population. Therefore, we need a risk-stratified approach based on the following factors:
- Age. People over 60 have a significantly higher risk of dying; therefore, they must be given priority for vaccination over younger people.
- Hypertension, diabetes, and obesity are significant risk factors, while respiratory diseases are not. AAT deficiency is also not a significant risk factor. However, those with significantly impaired lung function have a higher risk and should therefore be vaccinated.
- Employees in essential sectors such as healthcare or the police, regardless of 1st and 2nd categories.
Do you recommend that we, as high-risk patients who are expected to experience a more severe course of the disease, should be vaccinated in the first phase? Or do you recommend that we wait a certain amount of time?
Taking the above into account, I recommend vaccination.
Which of the vaccines is better for us, mRNA-based vaccines or other technologies, such as vector virus vaccines?
It's too early to say. Obtaining vaccine doses won't be easy; they're allocated to the states by the federal government. You likely won't have a choice.
What are the arguments for and against (e.g., side effects, long-term effects)?
The short-term data on side effects are within acceptable limits. While there are side effects at the injection site, such as temporary fever or fatigue, these are tolerable compared to the severity of the illness. No statement can be made at this time regarding long-term side effects. However, we understand the principles of the vaccines used, and nothing negative is expected in this regard. Nevertheless, as with everything in life, absolute certainty is impossible.
