Your digital COVID-19 vaccination certificate comes with an expiry date. But what happens when it expires? Do you need a booster? We provide some answers.
A sign advertises Germany's COVID-19 vaccine certificate app at a pharmacyImage: Sebastian Gabsch/Geisler-Fotopress/picture alliance
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The digital COVID certificate is the entry ticket for travel within the EU. But did you know that your vaccination pass could be expiring soon?
In the coming weeks, people will start receiving notifications via their COVID apps that their digital COVID vaccination certificates will expire soon.
The messages might be confusing at first glance, but they are just a technicality — all certificates expire after a year.
Your actual vaccination status won't be affected — you are not considered unvaccinated because the certificate is expired. If you've got a warning that your vaccine certificate will run out soon, you can get a new one from the pharmacy or wait for the Robert Koch Institute to update the apps.
Germany's Corona Warn app tells people when they have had contact with the virus Image: Fleig/Eibner/picture alliance
Am I fully vaccinated?
You are currently considered fully vaccinated in Germany if you've received both shots or a single dose of vaccine with a proven recovery.
The EU Commission has regulated that digital vaccination certificates across the bloc are valid for at least nine months after you've been fully immunized. After that, a booster shot is required.
The certificate for a booster vaccination, as well as the certificate for basic immunization for those under 18, are currently valid indefinitely.
New regulations will apply in Germany starting October 1. From this date, you will need three vaccine doses, or two vaccinations and a proven recovery, to be considered fully vaccinated.
Why are the rules changing?
Evidence shows that vaccines are protecting us against severe COVID-19 symptoms, hospitalization and death. However, vaccines are not hugely effective at stopping transmission of the virus.
Governments and health agencies are adjusting vaccination certification to account for new variants, immuno-compromised people who require stronger protection and waning immunity after a few months.
The German health agency has developed a number of new digitized options for people to prove their vaccination statutsImage: Britta Pedersen/dpa/picture alliance
Boosters offer better protection
The main scientific reason behind Germany's booster requirement planned for the start of October is better protection against COVID-19.
The science shows boosters are effective at helping to increase short-term immunity and at preserving immunity for longer.
"These boosters are very good at protecting against serious disease symptoms … A lot of protection you get from the first two to three doses will stay with you for a long time, but for the full benefit of vaccination you will need boosters,” said Peter Openshaw, a professor of experimental medicine at Imperial College London.
A large-scale study in April found that BioNTech-Pfizer's vaccine effectiveness against symptomatic COVID-19 was around 82% five months after the second dose. With a booster, that effectiveness jumped back up to 92%.
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Fourth shot boosts protection even further
Experts suggest a fourth booster shot could prolong immunity even further. Several countries like Germany, the UK and Israel have already started recommending a fourth dose of the COVID vaccine for at-risk groups, including people over 70 and people with immunodeficiency.
Germany's health minister, Karl Lauterbach, has urged EU counterparts to back a fourth COVID-19 vaccine dose, especially for at-risk people.
Studies have shown that a fourth shot boosted protection against COVID-19. An Israeli study published in March showed that people between 60 to 100 who received a fourth dose of the BioNTech-Pfizer COVID-19 vaccine had a 78% lower mortality rate from the disease than those who got only one.
A man in the Netherlands receives his second booster shotImage: ROBIN UTRECHT/picture alliance
Similarly, a UK trial published in May found a fourth shot found boosted protection against COVID-19 in those over 70 years of age.
Governments are still deciding whether to recommend fourth doses to a wider group of people later this year. Some experts say that the research only supports a fourth shot for at-risk people and more analysis is needed to justify offering a further booster jab to the wider population.
The good news is that current vaccines are still offering good protection against COVID, even as the virus has mutated.
"At the moment there doesn't seem to be a need for new vaccines against new COVID variants, as current vaccines seem to be just as effective at reducing serious disease," said Openshaw.
But for now the rules in Germany remain that you currently need two doses to be fully vaccinated until September 30, and three doses from October 1.
European vacations possible again as COVID infections slow
The COVID incidence rate is dropping overall throughout Europe in parallel with rising vaccination figures. Many countries are thus lifting restrictions and hoping for a rebound in tourism. DW offers an overview.
Image: Zhou Nan/Xinhua/picture alliance
Austria
On May 19, restaurants, hotels, theaters, and sport facilities are set to reopen, admitting visitors who show proof of a negative COVID test. These reopening plans will coincide with the elimination of quarantine rules for arriving tourists, enabling vaccinated and tested visitors to enter the country, as well as those who have recovered from COVID-19.
Image: Noppasin Wongchum/Zoonar/picture alliance
Switzerland
In order to fly to Switzerland, you will need a negative test, but this does not apply to arrivals by land. Only visitors arriving from high-risk areas are required to self-quarantine. Hotels are open, as are museums, stores, theaters and amusement parks. Restaurants are allowed to serve guests outdoors. Maximum occupancy numbers, social-distancing and mask-wearing rules apply everywhere.
Image: Glories Francois/ABACA/picture alliance
Greece
In Greece, the outside areas of restaurants are allowed to open again but are required to close by 10:45 p.m., and a curfew is in place starting at 11:00 p.m. Vacationers who want to enter the country are obligated to submit their personal data online and they must show proof of a negative PCR test or that they are fully vaccinated. They dont't need to self-quarantine.
Image: Chun Ju Wu/Zoonar/picture alliance
Italy
Italy is gradually lifting its restrictions. In areas with lower incidence rates, restaurants are allowed to serve guests outdoors even in the evening, but a curfew is in place starting at 10:00 p.m. Museums and movie theaters in “yellow zones” are open again. Italy aims to officially start its summer season on June 2, but the applicable restrictions for visitors have yet to be drawn up.
Image: Maria Laura Antonelli/Avalon/Photoshot/picture alliance
France
France is gradually opening up. Residents are now allowed to go beyond ten kilometers from their homes without a valid reason, and trips within the country are permitted again. A curfew is in place starting at 7 p.m. but is set to be pushed back to 9 p.m. starting on the May 19. Restaurants will then be allowed to serve guests outdoors, and stores and cultural establishments will open again.
Image: ROBIN UTRECHT/picture alliance
Spain
The situation in Spain has eased up considerably, with many restrictions already lifted, but several regions plan to maintain their curfews for the time being. Masks will also continue to be mandatory outdoors. Arrivals from EU and Schengen countries are allowed, but those coming from high-risk areas are still required to show a negative test.
Image: Jordi Boixareu/Zuma/picture alliance
Portugal
After about five and half months, a state of emergency was lifted Portugal on May 1. Restaurants, cultural and recreational establishments are thus now allowed to stay open until 10:30 p.m. In addition, the border with Spain is open again. Tourists from countries with a 14-day incidence rate exceeding 150, however, are still barred from entering Portugal.
Image: Hilda Weges/Zoonar/picture alliance
Croatia
In Croatia, hotels are allowed to receive guests and restaurants can open for outdoor dining provided they adhere to certain conditions. In order to enter the country, visitors must show proof of a negative PCR or antibody test, confirmation that they have recovered from COVID-19, or proof that they have been fully vaccinated.
Image: Pablo Camacho/PhotoAlto/picture alliance
Denmark
Stores have been reopened, but in order to dine indoors, guests are required to use an app to show they have tested negative, been fully vaccinated, or have recovered from COVID. Fully vaccinated arrivals from EU and Schengen countries are allowed to enter Denmark without a valid reason provided that their country is classified as "orange" or better, meaning with a lower COVID risk.
Image: Bruno Coelho/Zoonar/picture alliance
Poland
Hotels are allowed to welcome guests again – at 50% capacity. Outdoor dining will be allowed as well starting on May 15 and indoor dining as of May 29. Visitors are required to self-quarantine for ten days upon arrival unless they show proof of a negative test. Fully vaccinated people and those who have recovered from COVID are likewise exempted from the quarantine requirement.
