How do I get an appointment for vaccination?
You need an appointment for the vaccination. The exact procedure is regulated by the individual federal states. It may vary slightly from state to state.
Vaccination in vaccination centers
Vaccination is carried out in the vaccination centers. Appointments are made via special service numbers or the patient service of the medical on-call service 116117, which can also be used to make appointments online (www.116117.de). Alternatively, in some federal states you can also register via corresponding online portals. The invitation is then sent by SMS, e-mail or letter.
Vaccination by general practitioners
Both general practitioners and many specialists (e.g. gynecologists, dermatologists, orthopedists) offer Corona vaccinations. Whom office-based physicians vaccinate first depends on their personal assessment of their patient’s individual risk for infection or serious illness.
Vaccination with company physicians
Vaccination in vaccination buses
Many cities use vaccination vans where you can get vaccinated without an appointment. You can find out where they are via the cities’ Internet portals.
Who gets which vaccine?
The Standing Committee on Vaccination (STIKO) currently recommends the vector vaccines from AstraZeneca and Johnson & Johnson only for people over the age of 60. The reason for this is rare cerebral vein thrombosis that had occurred as a side effect, exclusively in younger adults to middle-aged individuals. This complication has not occurred more frequently in older people than in unvaccinated people in this age group.
Accordingly, people younger than 60 should receive the BioNTech/Pfizer or Moderna mRNA vaccine. However, after a thorough explanation by a physician and consideration of the personal risk, they may also receive a vector vaccine – for example, because the waiting time for vaccination with an mRNA vaccine would be significantly longer.
The mRNA vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna have now also been approved in Europe for children and adolescents aged 12 to 17 and are now recommended by the Standing Commission on Vaccination (STIKO) for everyone in this age group. The Corona vaccine is particularly important for children and adolescents with certain pre-existing conditions such as asthma, obesity, heart disease and trisomy 21 (Down syndrome).
At what intervals is vaccination given?
With the exception of the Johnson & Johnson vaccine (here, one dose is sufficient), two vaccinations are always needed for the vaccine protection to fully build up. For the mRNA vaccines (BionTech/Pfizer, Moderna), the Standing Committee on Vaccination recommends an interval of 3 to 6 weeks.
For AstraZeneca, the recommended vaccination interval was 9 to 12 weeks. In the meantime, because of the higher efficacy, the second vaccination is given with an mRNA vaccine – after only four weeks.
How do I prove that I am eligible for vaccination?
Should pregnant women get vaccinated?
To date, there are only limited data on the safety and efficacy of the Corona vaccine in pregnancy and lactation. Therefore, the Standing Committee on Vaccination does not currently recommend general vaccination of healthy pregnant women. Expectant mothers can, however, name two close contacts who will then be vaccinated for their protection.
The situation is assessed differently if pregnant women belong to a risk group – for example, due to a previous illness or because they are particularly exposed to infection. On the recommendation of the STIKO, they should be offered vaccination from the fourth month with an mRNA vaccine after detailed information and careful risk-benefit assessment.
You can read more about this topic in the article Coronavirus: What pregnant women need to know now.
And what about nursing mothers?
Can children and adolescents get vaccinated?
The mRNA vaccines from BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna have now also been approved by the European Medicines Agency (EMA) for the 12- to 17-year-old age group. For more on the topic, read the article Corona Vaccinations for Children and Adolescents.
What are the relaxations for fully vaccinated individuals?
Fully vaccinated and recovered individuals have greater freedoms during times of higher incidence. This includes, for example, restaurant and event visits without additional testing.
However, they too can become infected with Sars-CoV-2, which is why they must continue to wear masks in prescribed situations. Additionally, voluntary testing may be appropriate in particularly risky situations.
Digital proof of vaccination
This is intended to provide owners with quick, tamper-proof proof that they can once again enjoy certain basic rights, such as vacation travel or access to events that would otherwise require a negative test result – for example, future concerts.
Overview of vaccinations at state level
Countries organize vaccinations individually in each case. Information on vaccinations and vaccination centers can be found on the following pages:
