Markus Heitmair from Hohenpeißenberg was a bitter opponent of vaccinations for a long time.
He received his second vaccination on Thursday.
What made him rethink?
Peißenberg
- Suddenly there is this sentence in the Facebook comments on the home newspaper page under the article about the situation in the hospitals: "Was also an absolute opponent of vaccinations, I am vaccinated now," writes Markus Heitmair.
That makes you curious.
A few messages back and forth later he says: “Next Thursday I'll get my second vaccination at the vaccination center in Peißenberg.
Don't we just want to meet there? "
And indeed: 20 minutes before his vaccination appointment, Heitmair is standing in front of the entrance to the vaccination center.
The gray beard looks out from under the FFP2 mask, the eyes above look friendly.
Such a hardcore anti-vaccination opponent is somehow different.
"There were times when I was more afraid of the vaccination than of the disease"
And yet: "There were times when I was more afraid of the vaccination than of the disease," says Heitmair. He says it calmly, but seriously. He was not against vaccinations, but he was clearly against these new mRNA vaccines. “The development, the approval - that just happened too quickly for me.” So he did some research. On the Internet. And felt that his view was confirmed. “The more I read, the greater my rejection,” he recalls.
In addition, there was the permanent political hiccups: "At first this vaccine was only approved for the under-30s, then suddenly only for the elderly - how could you trust that?" About his employer - Heitmair works for a company that Among other things, he builds sterilizers for hospitals - he could have arranged a vaccination appointment very early on.
Heitmair refused, argued publicly against the corona vaccinations.
Opponents of vaccination have doubts about conspiracy theories
But the more "stuff" he read on the Internet, the greater his doubts grew over time as to whether it was really all plausible.
“At some point there came a point where someone claimed that the vaccine would be 'activated' as soon as the 5G network went live - some blatant conspiracy stuff.
So I thought: It doesn't make any sense. "
Heitmair thought about it, continued reading, and gathered information.
“They claim that vaccination should decimate the world population.
But if you then ask the question who is supposed to work out the money when all people have died, then nothing more will come. "
That is why he has now been vaccinated
Heitmair is still not an ardent advocate of vaccinations.
"The fact that I am getting vaccinated now has a lot to do with coercion," he says again and again.
And you believe him too.
His employer is putting pressure on him, and his wife has also decided to get vaccinated.
And then there is the matter of the shooting club.
Heitmair is second marksman master at FSG Schongau.
And he was only allowed to train when he was alone.
"That just doesn't work when you have such an office."
The 50-year-old thinks carefully before doing anything.
But when he has made up his mind, he'll go through with it.
Together with a colleague, he drove to the vaccination center in mid-October and got the first vaccination.
Biontech, an mRNA vaccine.
If already, then already.
He obviously has not regretted it, he is punctually on the mat of the vaccination center for the second vaccination at the agreed time.
“I really didn't have any side effects.
My wife was lying flat two days after the vaccination, it wasn't a problem for me. "
Many of his friends laugh at him, he reports with a shrug.
“From Saul to Paul”, they say.
He can take it.
Why not?
“Everyone has their opinion and they should have it too,” he says.
There are still some vaccine opponents in his circle of friends.
He doesn't give any lectures to them either: "Everyone has to decide for himself."
Understand the worries of others instead of verbally abusing each other
In general, it would be good if you started listening to each other again, trying to understand each other's concerns, and exchanging ideas.
"The way things are currently going on the Internet, that everyone just insults each other, that doesn't help," says Heitmair.
This corona pandemic is also difficult to understand.
“When there is a plane crash, you see the pictures on television, and everyone understands that people have just died there.
The virus kills invisibly, who comes to an intensive care unit to look at the situation for himself? ”In the end, talking to a doctor he trusts helped him.
"He explained to me what the lungs look like of those who have gone through a severe course of Covid infection.
That was urgent. "
Meanwhile, Heitmair is in the treatment room of vaccination doctor Dr.
Eva Conrad arrived.
She is surprised that he shows up for the appointment with the press in tow.
“I was against vaccination,” he says.
Why did he change his mind?
“Because of the increasing compulsion,” he says again.
“And because I don't want to risk a severe course.” The upper arm is exposed and the vaccination is given seconds later.
“No sport for two days,” the doctor tells him on the way.
Then Heitmair is already sitting in the observation room.
Double vaccinated.
All developments regarding the corona virus in the Weilheim-Schongau district are available in our news ticker.
By the way: Everything from the region is also available in our regular Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter.