A cautious sigh of relief after a stalemate in the vaccination center: it will continue until the end of the year

Created: 02/12/2022, 08:00

By: Sebastian Tauchnitz

Long queues like last summer are no longer seen in front of the vaccination center in Peißenberg these days.

Those responsible report that interest has decreased noticeably.

© Rudder/Archive

Again and again the contract with the Johanniter for the operation of the vaccination center in Peißenberg is only extended by a few months.

After a long stalemate, that's about to change.

District

– Actually, everything should have been wrapped up by the end of January, but now there's unnecessary hectic going on again.

The contract with the Johanniter for the operation of the vaccination center in Peißenberg expires at the end of April.

The cabinet of the Free State of Bavaria has now decided that the vaccination centers should continue to operate until the end of the year.

However, the capacities will be adjusted, as announced by the state government.

In concrete terms, basic capacities of around 2,000 vaccinations per week per 100,000 inhabitants are to be maintained in the future.

That would mean a good 2,600 vaccinations per week in the Weilheim-Schongau district with its around 135,000 inhabitants.

"That would be roughly at the level that we had previously agreed on," said the head of the vaccination center, Christian Achmüller, in an interview with the local newspaper yesterday.

But the corks haven't popped yet.

First of all, the district must submit a concrete contract offer.

All employees have already had to register as looking for work again

"We have now been informed by the government of Upper Bavaria about the decision of the Council of Ministers," says the district office on request.

The vaccination center will therefore continue until the end of 2022.

"At the moment, however, we cannot make any more precise statements as to the form, capacity and staffing levels this will take place, as there are also procurement law issues that need to be clarified.

But it is our wish and our goal that the vaccination center will be continued with the Johanniter because the cooperation with them has worked great so far.

Achmüller would also be happy about that, but he also sees very practical problems.

So much time had passed that the employees of the vaccination center all had to report looking for work.

"And if someone gets another job offer, well paid and for an unlimited period, then I certainly won't put any obstacles in their way," says Achmüller.

Even if that means that a trained employee leaves the vaccination center.

Hardly any short-time work - there are no applicants in the vaccination center

The ancillary requirements from the cabinet decision are also problematic.

There is talk of the capacity being adjusted in a reduced operation with little demand as is currently the case: to around 2000 vaccinations per week in the district.

If the demand increases sharply, as it did at the end of last year, the vaccination center should then also be able to give more than 4,000 vaccinations per week.

How this is to be implemented in practice is a mystery to Achmüller.

"At the beginning of 2020, a lot of people were on short-time work, so you could find good staff quickly, even at short notice," he explains.

Today, however, hardly anyone is on short-time work.

And it is extremely difficult to find enough employees.

Sure, one could fall back on the pool of many volunteers who had contacted the local newspaper after an appeal in November.

But such a vaccination center cannot be operated purely on a voluntary basis, says Achmüller.

At the moment there are only 40 vaccination appointments on some days

It is currently quiet in the vaccination center in Peißenberg.

Too quiet if its manager Christian Achmüller has his way.

"Meanwhile we have days when we only have 40 appointments in the calendar," he complains.

For comparison: At peak times, up to 5,000 vaccinations per week were administered in Peißenberg.

Various factors would play a role in the fact that the demand for corona vaccinations would be so low.

“There are the immensely high incidence values ​​at the moment.

They mean that an extremely large number of people become infected and are then considered 'recovered' for three months," says Achmüller.

There are also many who would otherwise have been vaccinated.

Söder is bringing the vaccination campaign for healthcare workers to a virtual standstill

The appointments at which healthcare workers should be vaccinated have almost completely disappeared.

"After Prime Minister Markus Söder made it clear that the facility-related vaccination requirement in Bavaria should not be implemented, many employees who have not been vaccinated so far see no reason to change that now," says Achmüller.

The protein vaccine Novavax, which does not work on an mRNA basis, will not change that much either.

Many health care workers had originally been waiting for him.

So far, however, there is still no specific delivery date for the new vaccine, which should only be delivered in mid-January, then at the end of January and now at the end of February at the earliest.

Vaccination is now possible again without prior appointment

In any case, you no longer need an appointment if you want to be vaccinated at the Peissenberger Vaccination Center.

"However, if you don't get an appointment via BayImco beforehand, you run the risk of standing in front of closed doors," Achmüller continues.

Because in view of the weak demand at the moment, attempts are being made to set the dates in such a way that they can be processed in one go.

And when you're through, you close the vaccination center a little earlier.

"However, if someone makes an appointment and only has time in the evening, then of course we will stay there and be happy to comply with this request," promised the head of the vaccination center.

Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter

: Everything from your region!

Our Weilheim-Penzberg newsletter informs you regularly about all the important stories from the Weilheim and Penzberg region - including all the news about the Corona crisis in your community.

Sign up here.

By the way: Everything from the region is now also available in our regular Schongau newsletter.

More current news from the district of Weilheim-Schongau can be found here.