Booster vaccinations will also be available in the companies in the future.
(Photo: dpa)
Dusseldorf Large companies in Germany rely on “booster vaccinations” for their employees via company doctors. This is shown by a Handelsblatt survey of selected Dax 40 companies and large family businesses.
For example, the pharmaceutical company Sartorius wants to reactivate its vaccination lines in the coming week, Volkswagen is planning to do so in late November, SAP, Covestro and Henkel want to start in December and Siemens in January.
Anette Wahl-Wachendorf from the Presidium of the Association of Company Doctors confirms this: “Many colleagues are back in the starting blocks and want to give booster vaccinations.” The first companies would reactivate their vaccination routes on a large scale, according to Wahl-Wachendorf, while others would do so on a smaller scale.
Many details have not yet been clarified, such as whether there will be a prioritization of those eligible for vaccination. The company doctors want to adhere to the recommendations of the Standing Vaccination Commission (Stiko), reports Wahl-Wachendorf.
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So far, the Stiko had only recommended booster vaccinations for people over 70 and vulnerable groups. However, Stiko boss Thomas Mertens announced on ZDF on Tuesday evening that the booster would be recommended for everyone over the age of 18.
The booster vaccinations via company doctors could be of decisive importance for the still faltering booster sessions. Vaccination centers have been closed in many places, general practitioners are sometimes overloaded, and long queues form in front of mobile vaccination vehicles. The 12,000 company doctors have direct access to the 45 million employees. In addition, many companies already have experience with flu vaccinations, for example.
The vaccine was scarce in the summer
The company doctors were already involved in the first and second vaccinations, but not until June and thus much later than the vaccination centers and general practitioners. One reason was the vaccine, which was still in short supply at the time. Many companies were initially not supplied with sufficient quantities of vaccines, so that many employees eventually had themselves vaccinated elsewhere.
This time the engine manufacturer MTU advocates “early involvement” of company doctors.
Local companies should be vaccinating on a large scale from mid-December, the Association of Company Doctors expects, because six months have passed since June. The Stiko currently recommends a waiting period of six months after the second vaccination.
Allianz and Puma intend to shortly offer a booster vaccination to those employees who have been immunized with the Johnson & Johnson (J&J) vaccine. The protective effect of the single vaccine should wear off quickly. Company doctors had occasionally inoculated J&J, for the most part the vaccine from Biontech / Pfizer was used.
Along with VW, BASF was one of the companies that offered the first vaccinations in early summer as part of a pilot project. The vaccination center should be available for corona booster vaccinations after the end of the flu vaccination campaign in December – for all employees, “regardless of whether they received their original vaccination at BASF or elsewhere”.
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