Germany launches National Covid-Vaccination Week

German authorities are offering vaccination at sports events, libraries, trams, and many more, just to push the country to the 75% mark before the start of winter

Today, Germany kicks off a nationwide vaccination week, where people can spontaneously get the Covid-vaccine at stadiums, during sporting events, at shopping centres, mosques, libraries and many more places.

The campaign is a loose collection of different regional efforts, aiming to provide an alternative to getting the shot in medical facilities. While each alternative offer was initiated by local authorities, the Federal Government, the Association of Towns and Municipalities (Deutscher Städte- und Gemeindebund) and Chancellor Angela Merkel have helped to unite them a joint German effort to promote vaccination.

Unified front

With national vaccination week, German authorities want to present a unified and de-centralised strategy to push vaccination rates above the current 66% and prevent a fourth wave of infections in the autumn and winter.

According to experts, the country needs to reach at least 75% to flatten the fourth wave and significantly more to stop it altogether. While the vaccination rate is still going up, it has slowed down considerably in recent months.

Furthermore, the potential for another serious burden on the German healthcare system in the coming months is increased due to the low vaccination rates among children and young people coupled with the start of school and university.

All alternative vaccination offers are free and do not require a previous appointment.

The best time to get the shot

The nationwide concerted vaccination push will officially last one week, until 19 September, however, according to the Head of the Chancellery Helge Braun, a lot of regional initiatives will continue for the next few weeks. The campaign includes all vaccination offers outside of official inoculation facilities.

One example is Stuttgart’s nightclub campaign. Another is targeting club-goers in the city of Hamburg’s vaccines for pizza campaign, where citizens can get the shot in a local restaurant in the Kiez neighbourhood. The restaurant, on their part, has decided to offer the newly vaccinated a free pizza.

Numerous municipalities and campaigns have sprung up across the country, in mosques, churches, sports centres, in public transportation, on bridges and next to stadiums aiming to make getting the jab a thing of convenience.

At the same time, the Association of Towns and Municipalities called on influencers and social media personalities to spread the message as sort of vaccine ambassadors. According to the association, having celebrities from the arts, culture and sport clearly promote vaccination is a big help.

Angela Merkel also joined in the push to raise the vaccination rate, as on Sunday she urged citizens to go and get the shot because it has never been easier and faster to do so.