Corona pandemic: future of vaccination centers controversial

Status: 06/12/2021 10:25 a.m.

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Since family and company doctors have been vaccinating against Corona, the question has arisen: Until when will the vaccination centers be needed? As of now, the federal government will stop its financial support at the end of September. Many are skeptical about this.

The German Association of Cities demands that the corona vaccination centers remain in operation for a longer period of time. “With the expected rush, the vaccination centers with their large capacities, for example in exhibition halls, are too important to simply handle them,” said General Manager Helmut Dedy of the “Passauer Neue Presse” with a view to increasing vaccine deliveries. “In addition, the mobile vaccination teams are starting from the vaccination centers in care facilities and social hot spots. We need high-performance structures. The pandemic is not over yet.”

The head of the general practitioner association, Ulrich Weigeldt, argued that the costs were too high. It is “more than questionable to maintain structures from which one hears again and again that the costs per vaccination are about ten times as expensive as in the medical practice,” he told the editorial network in Germany. “Instead of artificially keeping the vaccination centers alive, politicians should put their energy into sensible planning of the vaccine supply for the booster vaccinations.”

Many countries are preparing for the settlement

The federal government supports the financing of the vaccination centers at least until September 30th. What happens after that is unclear. A survey by the news agency epd among the health ministries of the federal states showed that a large part of the vaccination centers should be closed by autumn. However, a uniform line cannot be seen.

Hessen has already decided to close all centers from September – then family and company doctors should continue the immunizations. Other countries, however, were skeptical and wanted to keep selected vaccination centers open if necessary.

Because calls for a rethink

As early as Thursday, during and after the Prime Minister’s Conference with Chancellor Merkel, the Lower Saxony state chief Stephan Weil called for the discussion on the prospects of the vaccination centers to be held again. Weil emphasized that he had serious doubts as to whether it would be a wise plan to close the vaccination centers. “Corresponding rubbing marks would already be detectable in a few weeks, because the vaccination centers have to include the second vaccinations in their planning.” With AstraZeneca, no new first vaccinations could be given as early as the beginning of July, with the other vaccines in mid-August.

At the same time, it is to be expected that many resident doctors will go on vacation in the summer. That is why it should be “checked again in the Federal Ministry of Health” whether the infrastructure of the vaccination centers could not continue to provide good service throughout the summer and beyond.

Continued operation not excluded

According to epd, Bavaria can also hear that the question of a possible continuation of immunization in the vaccination routes is still “the subject of coordination between the federal and state governments”. A decision is currently not in sight. That depends on many factors, such as vaccination progress and the possible need for booster vaccinations.

Rhineland-Palatinate is also keeping its operations open: “From our company’s point of view, the vaccination centers are a tried and tested component of the vaccination strategy that we do not want to give up prematurely without an emergency.” Before this structure is abolished, it must be clear how the vaccination campaign can be continued as effectively as possible without this component.

“Where should people without a family doctor be vaccinated?”

The care and prevention researcher Benjamin Schüz from the Institute for Public Health and Nursing Research at the University of Bremen also pleaded for the vaccination centers to be at least partially preserved. “Vaccination centers have an important task to control outreach offers,” said Schüz in an interview with Radio Bremen. He is thinking, for example, of targeted vaccination campaigns in poorer parts of the city.

In general, the centers are important for the supply of vaccines to all people who do not have a family doctor. That could affect homeless people as well as those without a residence permit – but also everyone else, explained Schüz: “Finding a new family doctor is currently almost an impossibility. Hardly anyone takes in new patients. Where should the people who do not have a doctor have to be vaccinated otherwise, if not through the vaccination center? ”