Hubert Böck, Deputy Head of the Freising Vaccination Center, answered questions from FT readers about the corona vaccination for two hours.
Questions and answers here at a glance:
Freising
- The wires were running hot.
For two hours, the readers used the offer of the FT, the deputy head of the vaccination center, Hubert Böck, to ask their most burning questions about corona vaccination.
Some also took the opportunity to put their worries off their minds.
For example, one lady reported: "When I read about the offer in the daily newspaper, I thought to myself: Perfect, I'll call - even if I've been on hold for three hours."
Böck took a lot of time for each individual, wrote down specific cases and promised to find out more and get in touch with very individual questions.
The feedback from the callers, who spoke up from all parts of the district, was correspondingly positive: “You were very friendly, Mr. Beck”, thanked a lady.
One gentleman said: “That was a comforting message.” And: “The Freising Vaccination Center is the best.” The FT noted down questions and answers.
I belong to priority level 1. When will it be my turn?
Hubert Böck: We have carried out over 6000 first vaccinations since January, but there are still around 3500 vaccinations pending in the over-80s group.
We currently manage 360 to 400 vaccinations per day.
That means we'll be through with priority 1 in two or three weeks.
You should also have your vaccination by then.
In which order is the invitation - by alphabet or place of residence?
When registering on the online platform, it is based on age.
If you register by email or letter, it will go after receipt.
We received 5,000 letters and 3,000 emails alone.
This is processed in sequence.
I am 93 years old and have severe cancer.
People younger and healthier than me have already been vaccinated.
Is that correct?
We would, of course, like to prefer those within a group who have the greatest ailments.
But we have no information about that.
We couldn't process that with 8000 registrations either.
But I promise you: you have your appointment next week.
Where can I park at the vaccination center?
If you can walk easily, it is best to park in the neighboring stone center.
If you are not, you can also drive into the courtyard of the barracks.
We also have some disabled parking spaces.
However, given the number of people we are currently vaccinating each day, the parking lot can get a little tight
.
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Most people over the age of 80 have already received their vaccine at the Freising vaccination center.
There are currently up to 400 vaccinations per day there.
© Freising District Office
Do you have a wheelchair in the vaccination center?
We have a wheelchair on site.
The vaccination center is also barrier-free.
Are there doctors on site?
We have several doctors at the vaccination center.
There are currently three.
If necessary, we can increase this.
Everyone who comes has a vaccination talk with the doctor.
He decides whether a vaccination can take place.
We have also sent people home because they had a cold or just received an injection of tetanus.
Are there serious side effects or even deaths after vaccination?
We have been vaccinating since December and have not yet had a death.
There were no more serious side effects either.
What happens are normal vaccine reactions: an aching arm, sometimes chills, very rarely a fever.
Everyone who is vaccinated remains under observation for up to half an hour, depending on their previous illnesses, according to the doctor's assessment.
For this we only set up a tent in the yard at the weekend.
Which vaccines do you vaccinate - and can I choose the vaccines?
We inoculate Biontech, AstraZeneca and Moderna.
Those willing to vaccinate cannot choose the vaccine.
AstraZeneca, for example, is not recommended at all for people over 65 in Germany.
This is shown in the current Corona vaccination ordinance.
Does AstraZeneca work as well as Biontech?
According to current knowledge, the protective effect of AstraZeneca after the first vaccination is higher than that of Biontech.
On the other hand, the protective effect at Biontech is slightly higher overall after the second vaccination.
Perhaps one out of ten Biontech vaccinated people will fall ill, and out of ten AstraZeneca vaccinated people maybe two or three.
But the important thing is: With both vaccines, those affected usually do not get so seriously ill that inpatient treatment is necessary.
Which vaccine has more side effects?
At AstraZeneca the side effects are more common after the first vaccination, at Biontech after the second.
Why don't people over 65 get AstraZeneca?
The Standing Vaccination Committee currently recommends the AstraZeneca vaccine only for ages 18 to 64.
Little data are available on its effectiveness in the elderly.
In England, however, a different regulation was made here.
What about supplies?
It gets even better.
We'll soon get so much that we won't be able to vaccinate everything in the vaccination center on our own.
For this we need the doctors.
When do doctors get on board?
It is planned that doctors will start vaccinating from April 1st.
We have 60 practices in the district.
If 50 take part, which is realistic, and give 100 vaccinations per week, we have 8000 vaccinations per week together with the quota at the vaccination center.
We will be helping 80,000 people in ten weeks.
How do people who want to be vaccinated register with doctors?
This has not yet been settled.
This is currently being clarified between the government and the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians.
Can people who suffer from wasp allergy or other allergic reactions be vaccinated?
The family doctor should assess that.
Experience has shown that allergy sufferers react primarily to the Biontech vaccine.
We now collect such cases and then do special campaigns.
For example, this Thursday and Friday we are vaccinating people with allergies who only tolerate the Moderna vaccine well.
Should people who have already had a corona infection still be vaccinated immediately?
The current recommendation of the vaccination commission is to wait six months.
First, because those who are sick already have the appropriate antibodies.
Second, they may experience increased reactions.
How long does the corona vaccine work?
There is no reliable data.
It is possible that the corona vaccination will have to be refreshed from year to year, just like the flu.
Are there any findings as to whether the virus can be passed on despite being vaccinated?
There are still no definite statements about this.
According to findings in Scotland, the transmission of the virus at AstraZeneca was very low.
Corona disease despite vaccination - how does it work?
This happens especially if the second vaccination has not yet taken place, because the protective effect is then not that high.
In principle, no active ingredient offers 100 percent protection.
But: The course of the disease is much milder.
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Thousands of letters were received in Freising at the start of the corona vaccinations.
All under-80s must register via the online vaccination platform.
© Freising District Office
When is priority 2 at the start?
The written invitation for the 75 to 80 year olds will be sent out at the beginning of next week.
The vaccinations will start at the end of March or beginning of April.
What happens if I don't have time for the proposed date?
If we call through the call center, we will make an appointment that is possible.
If it goes through the vaccination platform, you will receive an email that appointments are available.
Then you can choose one online.
Can I only register one time per email address?
That has changed.
You can now register up to five people with one e-mail address.
Our child has had a transplant but is only 15 years old.
Can we still have it vaccinated?
AstraZeneca is the only vaccine that is approved from the age of 16, all others only from the age of 18. Whether a vaccination before the age of 16 makes sense should be clarified with the treating doctor.
I am 83 years old, my wife 77. When I have my vaccination appointment, can I bring my wife with me?
That will not do.
We have fixed guidelines.
If I were to deviate from this - where do I draw the line?
The same applies to family carers who fall into the second or third priority.
How do bedridden people get vaccinated?
The staff of the vaccination center cannot logistically do this at the moment.
We rely on a solution with the family doctors.
For example, several home visits in one afternoon would be conceivable, during which the doctor vaccinates a whole bunch of bedridden patients.
Vaccination platform: register!
Many readers who contacted the FT hotline weren't even aware of this: If you want to be vaccinated and do not belong to priority 1, you have to take action yourself and register.
"Otherwise nothing happens because we then assume that you do not want to be vaccinated," emphasizes Hubert Böck.
Registration is already possible online for all citizens at impfzentren.bayern/citizen.
Pre-existing illnesses can also be specified there.
The registered participants are then invited to the appointment according to their prioritization.
“Click & Collect” is intended to help retailers through the lockdown. An interim balance in Freising shows: It is better than nothing - but far from good.
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