Corona vaccinations will also be carried out in pharmacies from Tuesday (08.02.2022). But for which people does the offer apply and how many branches are currently vaccinating?
Kassel – From Tuesday (February 8th, 2022), pharmacies may also carry out vaccinations to protect against Corona*. This measure is intended to boost the vaccination campaign in Germany. At the same time there is criticism of the pharmacy vaccination. The most important information at a glance:
How many pharmacies actually vaccinate? Initially, only a few pharmacies offered a corona vaccination. From a total of 18,500 facilities nationwide, only around 500 pharmacies took part at the start of the campaign. However, more than twice as many pharmacies currently have the prerequisites for vaccination. The Federal Union of German Associations of Pharmacists (ABDA) therefore assumes that more pharmacies will participate in corona vaccinations in the coming weeks. The ABDA reported that the management itself decides whether and when a pharmacy offers Covid 19 vaccinations. Before that can happen, however, certain conditions must be met.
Corona vaccinations in Germany: What requirements do pharmacies have to meet?
The Infection Protection Act lists suitable premises and medical training as basic requirements for corona vaccinations in the pharmacy. In addition to the vaccination itself, this further training includes knowledge about the vaccination to protect against corona as well as first aid measures in emergency situations. According to a report by the ABDA on Friday (February 4th, 2022), around 6,000 pharmacists in Germany have completed the necessary training.
In addition, professional liability insurance must be expanded in order to be able to carry out corona vaccinations in a pharmacy. Like vaccination centers and family doctor’s surgeries, pharmacies in Germany must pass on the vaccinations carried out to the RKI on a daily basis.
Corona vaccination in the pharmacy: vaccine, minimum age and online portal
What vaccines are available in pharmacies? The same vaccines are available in pharmacies as in doctor’s offices, as Thomas Preis, head of the North Rhine Pharmacists’ Association, said in an interview with the Rheinische Post. This means that the Corona vaccines from Biontech, Moderna and Johnson & Johnson are available for the respective approved groups of people. The new vaccine from Novavax should also be vaccinated in pharmacies when it is available in Germany.
What is the age limit for vaccination in pharmacies? Pharmacists are only allowed to vaccinate people against Corona who have reached the age of twelve. The paediatricians are still responsible for children between the ages of five and eleven.
Which pharmacies currently vaccinate? Interested parties can see on the online portal mein-apothekenmanager.de where the corona vaccinations are already being offered. According to the law, veterinarians and dentists should also vaccinate against corona in addition to pharmacies.* However, these groups are not yet part of the current expansion.
| start date | 02/08/2022 |
| requirements | Suitable premises; medical training |
| vaccines | Biontech, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson |
| minimum age | 12 years |
Criticism of the corona vaccination in the pharmacy: “Not effective”
What criticism is there of the corona vaccinations in pharmacies? Criticism of the expansion of the Corona vaccination offer to pharmacies * comes from general practitioners in Germany, among others. “There is currently no shortage of vaccination options,” said the federal chairman of the German Association of General Practitioners, Ulrich Weigeldt, who described the measure as “not expedient”. Accordingly, it is not to be expected that the pharmacy vaccinations will boost the vaccination campaign.
Thomas Rochell, chairman of the board of the pharmacists’ association, fended off this criticism. According to him, low-threshold access for customers who are not familiar with the doctor can be offered in the pharmacies. Rochell referred to experiences from other European countries and model projects in Germany, in which pharmacies participated in flu vaccinations. (vbu with dpa) *hna.de is an offer from IPPEN.MEDIA.
List of rubrics: © Wolfgang Maria Weber/Imago
