The coronavirus can cause people to develop the disease COVID-19. The course of the illness can vary and trigger different symptoms. Common symptoms of a COVID-19 infection include headache, fever, sore throat, dry cough, body aches, conjunctivitis, loss of smell or taste, shortness of breath, fatigue, and gastrointestinal complaints.
Depending on the course of the disease, complications may occur. These can include pneumonia, neurological long-term effects, long-term effects involving the heart and blood vessels, an excessive immune response, and long COVID or post-COVID. COVID-19 can cause death.
How can I protect myself from infection?
The most effective protection against infection with the coronavirus is the COVID-19 vaccination. In addition, each vaccination helps reduce the spread of the coronavirus. In this way, vaccination contributes to protecting everyone. To reduce the risk of infection as much as possible, it is advisable to follow hygiene measures such as regular ventilation and wearing a protective mask in indoor spaces with many people.
Who is the vaccination suitable for?
The STIKO recommends COVID-19 vaccination for the following groups:
Basic Immunity:
All healthy individuals aged 18 and older, as well as healthy pregnant women (regardless of age), are recommended to receive vaccination if their basic immunity is incomplete. Basic immunity is considered present after at least three antigen exposures, provided that one of these exposures is a vaccination.Healthy children and adolescents are currently not recommended to receive a COVID-19 vaccine.Booster Vaccinations:
An annual vaccination in the autumn is recommended for the following groups, provided basic immunity is present:
Individuals with a healthy immune system aged 60 and older. A vaccination may be omitted if the person has had a SARS-CoV-2 infection during the current year.Individuals aged 6 months and older with an underlying condition that increases the risk of severe COVID-19. This includes people with chronic respiratory diseases, chronic cardiovascular diseases, liver or kidney diseases, diabetes mellitus or other metabolic disorders. The same applies to people with obesity, central nervous system diseases, dementia, intellectual disability, psychiatric illnesses, cerebrovascular disease, Down syndrome, congenital or acquired immunodeficiency (e.g., HIV infection, organ transplantation, etc.), as well as those with active cancer.Residents of long-term care facilitiesFamily members or close contacts of individuals who cannot develop a protective immune response after vaccinationHealthcare workers and staff in long-term care facilitiesFor individuals with significantly impaired immune response, additional vaccine doses and a shorter interval between doses (more than 4 weeks) may be necessary.Important Notes:
For individuals aged 12 to 29 years and for pregnant women, Spikevax products should generally not be used.Pregnant women of any age should receive missing vaccine doses only from the second trimester onward.
Which vaccines are available?
There are the following developments in COVID-19 vaccines:
mRNA vaccines (Comirnaty by BioNTech/Pfizer, Spikevax by Moderna, Kostaive by Seqirus Netherlands)Protein-based vaccines (Nuvaxovid by Novavax CZ a.s., Bimervax by HIPRA Human Health)You can also find a current overview of all vaccines on the Paul Ehrlich Institute’s COVID-19 Vaccines webpage.
The mRNA vaccine Comirnaty from Biontech/Pfizer, the mRNA vaccine Spikevax from Moderna and the vaccine Nuvaxovid are approved in the EU for children aged 12 years and older.
The STIKO recommends Corona vaccination, ideally with Comirnaty, with two doses for all children and adolescents 12 to 17 years of age. Healthy adolescents should receive one booster vaccination. For adolescents aged 12 to 17 years with previous disease should receive two booster vaccinations.
What costs are covered by the SBK?
If there is a STIKO vaccination recommendation, the costs of the COVID-19 vaccination will be covered for you and are usually billed via the SBK healthcare card. If the vaccination is offered in your workplace, we also reimburse the costs for the medical fee.
We have agreements with pharmacies, so the costs of vaccination in pharmacies are also covered.
COVID-19 vaccines continue to be centrally financed and procured by the federal government in multi-dose vials. Therefore, an individual reimbursement arrangement by the insurance fund (e.g., for single-dose vaccines) is not possible.
Where can I get vaccinated?
Vaccinations can be administered in general practitioner, pediatric, and gynecological practices. It is best to check in advance whether the practice has the vaccine in stock.
To allow you to get vaccinated quickly, easily, and without long waiting times, we have made arrangements for vaccinations to be carried out in pharmacies. Pharmacies that provide COVID-19 vaccinations can be found in the ApoGuide (in German only) of the state pharmacists’ associations.
If the vaccination is offered in your workplace, we also reimburse the costs in this case.
We will gladly review your eligibility for reimbursement of your vaccination costs. To do so, please provide all necessary documents. Simply upload your medical invoice, pharmacy receipt, and vaccine prescription to Meine SBK. Your reimbursement will be processed and transferred to your account within a few days.
Alternatively, you can send your documents by post. You can find our address and a prepaid envelope here.
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