The first vaccine came with a police escort: the head of the vaccination center and the district administrator take stock
Created: 12/28/2022, 09:00
By: Veronika Ahn-Tauchnitz
In February 2021, district administrator Josef Niedermaier (right) and vaccination center manager Maximilian Pfandl opened the location in Bad Tölz.
(Archive photo) © District Office Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
The lights go out in the vaccination center in Wolfratshausen on December 30th, the one in Bad Tölz has already been closed for days - after two often turbulent years.
Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen – The construction and operation of the two corona vaccination centers in the district was not just a logistical tour de force.
Especially at the beginning, the employees on site had to endure a lot when the registration got stuck.
From February 2021 vaccinations were carried out at the two locations in Bad Tölz and Wolfratshausen.
It's over now: The center next to the Asklepios Clinic in Tölz has been closed for a few days, and the last needle prick will be set in Wolfratshausen on Friday, December 30th.
Vaccination center manager Maximilian Pfandl (28) from the Aicher outpatient clinic and district administrator Josef Niedermaier (59) look back on two often turbulent years.
Mr. Pfandl, what conclusion do you draw after two years at the vaccination center?
Maximilian Pfandl:
For me personally it was a very nice experience to be in the district and I find it very sad to be leaving now.
But of course I'm also happy that normal life goes on.
Memorable day: On December 27, 2020, the first vaccinations in the district were given in the Tölzer Josefistift.
© District Office Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
How is it going for you personally?
Pfandl:
I'm back to my actual job.
I'm actually the "head of operations" at Aicher.
I manage the operative business of the Aicher outpatient clinic.
During the quiet phase of the vaccination center, for example, I was entrusted with the issue of refugees.
I set up the distribution center for Bavaria.
Since December 2022 I have been appointed organizational manager for the state capital of Munich and I am looking forward to the new task.
Vaccination centers in Bad Tölz and Wolfratshausen: 145,662 doses of vaccine administered
And Mr. Niedermaier, your conclusion after two years of vaccination center?
Josef Niedermaier:
It was a very exciting time.
We have achieved a lot - and at the beginning without any plan.
It's usually always there with things like this - not here.
For example, at the beginning we didn't know when the vaccine would be available and how to treat it.
It was a challenge for many: also because the software for the registrations simply didn't work at all in the beginning.
This was particularly difficult for the Aicher employees on the hotline.
But in the end it all worked out.
And I do think that the state has made a huge offer to the population with the vaccination centers.
Despite all the obstacles, things went well for us.
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How many injections were given in total in the two vaccination centers?
Pfandl:
145,462.
Niedermaier:
With almost 130,000 district citizens, you get a decent quota.
What was more difficult: the time when many wanted to be vaccinated and there was no vaccine, or the time when there was a lot of vaccine but no people who wanted to be vaccinated?
Niedermaier:
Emotionally, the first was more difficult.
In the case of the other, one questioned how long the state would continue to do this.
But the first time was the more difficult one, when many hoped and waited for the vaccination - and then it was not their turn for a long time.
You had to endure that.
pawn:
The most difficult thing at the beginning was that the vaccine just didn't come, but was promised from calendar week to calendar week.
Then the next week dawned – and again no vaccine came.
Prioritization was also difficult at the beginning.
We should vaccinate everyone over 80 first.
The prioritization came from the federal government, with the digital registration, the Free State then also thought something.
However, in the age group prioritized first, many did not have a mobile phone or an email address and were therefore unable to register for the vaccination.
Or there was only one email address, but a second one would have been necessary for the registration of the spouse.
We had to answer a lot of inquiries here.
"Small error in reasoning" when programming the vaccination platform
Niedermaier:
That was a small error in thinking when programming the Bavaria-wide platform BayImco, which had a huge impact.
Pfandl:
Fortunately, that was settled quickly.
Wolfratshausen was the test vaccination center for BayImco.
The manager approached us and asked if we could test a few things.
Nevertheless, during this time we often had really desperate people on the phone in the editorial office who simply didn't know what to do with vaccination registration.
Pfandl:
That didn't just apply to us on the phone.
We have had people come to the vaccination center every day and wait for hours in front of it, hoping that there will be a vaccine dose left.
There were people who offered us money.
It was pure desperation, people were ready for anything.
The arguments that had to be fought in front of the vaccination centers during this time - that was wild.
The vaccination bus toured the district from summer 2021.
(Archive photo) © District Office Bad Tölz-Wolfratshausen
What is the most unpleasant experience you can remember?
Pfandl:
The one day when some Facebook group announced that there were vaccinations in Wolfratshausen today without registration and without an appointment and that the vaccination center was simply overrun.
Hundreds were at the door.
Niedermaier:
Even the days after that, when it had to be worked through – those were the hardest.
deposit:
Of course, I also have bad memories of the day when the hailstorm hit Wolfratshausen.
Our roof was taken off, all the tents below were dismantled and everything was full of water.
In general, I remember the day of the first vaccine delivery.
I fetched them from Munich myself and was escorted by the police with flashing blue lights.
There were strict instructions not to stop, and here the vaccine had to be put in the safe immediately.
“There were moments that you tell your children and grandchildren about”
Did you remember anything nice?
Pfandl:
The whole team, of course.
Over time we had 180 employees.
Very close friendships were formed there.
In addition, there were always very emotional gestures from people: for example, a citizen brought us an iced coffee.
There was a lot of gratitude, there were many beautiful moments, that was very, very nice.
Niedermaier:
There was also a celebration in the vaccination center in the fall.
That's when you noticed the kind of team that was formed there.
pawn:
I also thought the rides through the district on the vaccination bus were cool.
We have covered hundreds of kilometers.
Of course, I also remember December 27, 2020, when the first vaccination in the district took place in the Tölzer Josefistift.
Everyone was tense.
We only drove the car at 30 km/h so that it wouldn't shake too much and the vaccine wouldn't be damaged.
There were moments that you tell your children and grandchildren about.
What was the biggest challenge?
Niedermaier:
This uncertainty as to how the Free State actually wants this to be organized.
All in all, we learned a lot: At some point we said: We'll try to adapt what they want up there - and then see how it suits the district best.
And then it went well, even though so many different people were involved.
Pfandl:
We had employees from very different sectors.
Especially at the beginning, many came from the hotel industry, gastronomy and airlines.
People who suddenly didn't have a job anymore and quickly looked for something.
Niedermaier:
Sometimes on flights now you can meet former employees from the vaccination center.
For example, the purser on my flight to Hamburg for the city and community day who took my suitcase from me was our deputy vaccination center manager.
Over 1100 vaccinations on full-load days
Did the two centers ever run at full capacity?
Pfandl:
Yes.
There were days when we did over 1100 vaccinations.
Were there people in the two centers who had health problems immediately after the vaccination?
Pfandl:
We had people who had circulatory problems.
But there was not a single severe allergic reaction.
There have been a single digit number of patients that we have vaccinated under surveillance conditions in the emergency room because of medical indications that problems could arise.
But there were no difficulties here either.
In one case, a man's intention to get vaccinated even saved his life.
Before the vaccination, he collapsed with a pulmonary embolism.
That would probably have happened at his house too.
As it was, he was in our medical care and was immediately taken to the hospital.
Parking problems at the Wolfratshausen vaccination center
For a while there was a children's vaccination center in Bad Tölz, the opening of which had been accompanied by some criticism in advance. How did the offer develop afterwards?
Niedermaier:
There were no problems at the vaccination room itself and no major discussions either.
In the run-up, there were of course a number of protest actions - also against the obligation to wear a mask - which reached as far as me in the garden.
Probably the best-known person to have been vaccinated in Wolfratshausen in March 2021 was the former Prime Minister Edmund Stoiber.
(Archive photo) © Sabine Hermsdorf-Hiss
Was there any protest at the vaccination centers?
Niedermaier:
Once in Wolfratshausen, but that was over quickly.
Pfandl:
We were in close contact with the police departments in Wolfratshausen and Bad Tölz, who visited us very often.
There was a security service for that.
At peak times there were seven in Wolfratshausen.
Niedermaier:
But that was also due to the parking problems.
Which you then solved with a shuttle service.
Most counties had only one vaccination center. Has the offer with two locations proved its worth?
Niedermaier:
Yes, definitely.
Learned a lot for life in the vaccination centers
But getting that through with the Free State wasn't that easy, was it?
Niedermaier:
At the beginning it was said: Only one vaccination center will be financed.
We then solved it in such a way that Bad Tölz was practically the sub-centre of Wolfratshausen.
Then it worked with two vaccination sites - and we didn't ask anymore.
In our district, which is very long in terms of area, two vaccination centers were needed.
Mr. Pfandl, have you ever regretted taking over the management of the vaccination centers?
Pfandl:
Once very briefly.
In summary, I was very, very happy and would do it again at any time, because I personally found the cooperation with the district office to be very good.
And with everyone who was involved in the topic.
Trust in me was very high, so I was able to make many decisions.
There was no other district like this.
Niedermaier:
We were one of the first circles to say: We won't do it ourselves with our resources.
It was just better to outsource the logistical competence to get this up and running right away.
We had a great division that saved public resources and was the more economical solution in the end.
It was a recipe for success.
All in all, we've probably all learned a lot for life in the past two years, haven't we?
Pfandl:
Yes.
Niedermaier:
I think in our jobs we learn for life every day.
At least that's how it has been for me for 23 years.
You can find more current news from the region around Bad Tölz at Merkur.de/Bad Tölz.
