It is not possible to say how much the effectiveness of the vaccination will be reduced if new mutations and SARS-CoV-2 variants occur. This will depend on several factors: on the vaccine used, on the number of doses that have already been administered, on the combination of vaccines used so far and above all on the type of mutation.

According to the Robert Koch Institute (RKI), the COVID-19 vaccination was 75% effective against symptomatic infection and 90% effective against severe illness in fully (doubly) vaccinated people before the omicron variant appeared.

It is nevertheless important to remember that the effectiveness of the vaccination decreases with time. This applies particularly in relation to the omicron variant of the virus which has spread worldwide since November 2021. RKI reports that the effectiveness of vaccination is lower against the omicron variant than against delta and decreases more quickly. This means that from about 15 weeks after the second vaccination there is no adequate protection against illness. However, the study data do show that a booster vaccination can provide good protection against the omicron variant.

The Robert Koch Institute (RKI) provides current information about the effectiveness of coronavirus vaccinations.

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