Bad CovPass surprise looms: millions of vaccination certificates will expire soon - who is now affected

Created: 01/23/2022, 15:20

By: Jonas Raab

The EU has decided to shorten the period of validity of the basic immunization.

Who is affected and what needs to be considered with the digital vaccination certificate.

Berlin/Brussels - Whether it's a cinema, restaurant or gym - little is currently happening without proof of vaccination.

CovPass and Corona-WarnApp have become constant companions.

But beware!

In just a few days - on February 1, 2022 - millions of corona vaccination certificates will expire throughout Europe.

We explain who is affected and what needs to be considered.

Corona rules in Germany: who is considered fully vaccinated?

In order to be able to participate in large parts of public life in Germany, you need the so-called "basic immunization".

This status is traditionally obtained after two vaccinations with a vaccine approved in the EU - including the Johnson & Johnson vaccine.

However, a recovered corona infection can also take the place of one of the two syringes.

From when the status takes legal effect, however, varies from case to case.

With two vaccinations, the basic immunization is available 14 days after the second peak.

Anyone who first becomes infected with Corona and then gets vaccinated will receive the status on the day of the injection.

Anyone who catches Corona after the initial vaccination has to wait 28 days after recovering.

Validity of the Corona vaccination certificate: These rules currently apply in Germany - still!

In order to be allowed to visit the cinema, pub and Co. in Germany, you need a vaccination or convalescence certificate - i.e. a digital vaccination certificate that is generated from the medical proof of the vaccination and/or recovery.

The presentation of vaccination records or certificates is still accepted in many places.

Millions of Germans are affected by a reduction in the validity of the vaccination.

Soon there will be more every day.

© Christian Ohde/imago

The digital vaccination certificates in Germany are currently valid for 12 months for people with basic immunization.

Without a booster vaccination, the status then expires.

Digital vaccination certificate and its validity: What will change on February 1st?

The European Union has decided to limit the basic immunization.

The validity of the digital vaccination certificates will be reduced from 12 to 9 months.

The regulation will come into force on February 1, 2022 and will also affect all digital vaccination certificates issued in Germany.

The federal government has approved the European initiative.

However, it has not yet been officially confirmed when the shorter deadline will apply in Germany.

Just like an adjustment to the recovery period, the 9-month rule could be finally decided at the next federal and state corona summit on January 24th.

Corona vaccination certificate only valid for 9 months: who is affected?

One thing is certain at the moment: The new EU rule will definitely apply to travel within the EU from February 1st.

It is still unclear whether the possibly expired status of the basic immunization will also be displayed in the CovPass and Corona-WarnApp - and whether it is binding within Germany.

The new 9-month period is actually a 270-day period.

Means: On February 1, 2022, all people who were considered basic immunization before May 7, 2021 will lose their status.

It is not entirely clear how many people this affects.

According to an evaluation by the National Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians (KBV), the

is available, there were 8.8 million people in Germany at the time. However, the Federal Ministry of Health estimates these numbers as too high, as they told Merkur.de. However, they cannot give an exact number: “It should be borne in mind that those who have recovered may have been vaccinated before or after the infection, which changes their status. J&J vaccinated persons may have been vaccinated again in the meantime. According to the figures from the RKI for the vaccinations administered, 3,592,322 initial vaccinations with J&J and a further 9,948 booster vaccinations with J&J were carried out by January 19th, 2022.” ,which depict both the RKI and the Central Institute for the Association of Statutory Health Insurance Physicians in vaccination dashboards (ZI). "However, only fully vaccinated people are counted, not the certificates issued.  

As the Ministry of Health reports, the new regulation also creates an incentive to get vaccinated: “A side effect of the regulations is an incentive for vaccination.

There are many different vaccination offers nationwide and there is enough vaccine.”

Date, validity, expiry date: What applies to the booster vaccination?

So that the millions affected do not experience a nasty surprise on February 1st, they have to get boosters.

People from Berlin, Saxony and Thuringia in particular should be careful, because here, in contrast to Bavaria, for example, one is only considered to have been boosted 14 days after the booster vaccination.

So if you live in these federal states, were considered basic immunization before May 7, 2021 and have not yet received a booster, you are already too late.

The Standing Vaccination Commission now recommends the booster vaccination from as early as the third month after the basic immunization.

There is currently no decision as to how long the booster spade will be legally valid.

However, the technical expiry date in the digital vaccination certificate suggests a 12-month validity.