Ms. Ender, you are the deputy medical director of the vaccination center in the Neckar-Odenwald district.

Will more people be vaccinated again now that tests will soon be chargeable?

Kim Maurus

Volunteer.

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Yes, we are noticing an increased demand.

On the one hand, because people need more tests and they have to pay for them, they prefer to go for vaccinations.

On the other hand, because the recommendation of the Standing Vaccination Commission for adolescents and children from 12 to 17 years is finally here.

That gives some parents a certain security.

Do you already have plans for your center?

The state government has decided that our center will close at the end of September.

It's too decentralized.

However, the centers have a major role in ensuring that we can fight and defeat the pandemic.

Compared to the general practitioners, they have better logistics and were and are a good thing.

With us you can now just walk in and pick up the vaccination without a complicated appointment.

So closing down is not a good idea?

No, but vaccination centers are closed in all federal states.

Some go into stand-by mode.

The fact that the number of vaccination centers is being reduced may not be entirely wrong, but I think the closure of the decentralized centers is a pity, the rural population also needs to be looked after.

How quickly would it be possible to restart operations here?

Our vaccination center is not one of those that continue to run in stand-by mode.

But our leader knew in November 2020 that he would be used here and in January we could start vaccinating.

So we could ramp that up again in a few weeks.

That would also require that the willingness to vaccinate rises sharply, especially among skeptical people.

Can you still make people who oppose vaccination rethink?

I am very critical of those who oppose vaccinations. Opposite our center, a vaccine opponent runs a business. He discussed with us when we set up an information table in front of the center. He knew better, after all, he would read Telegram every day. You can no longer approach someone like that with arguments. The matter is amplified by the so-called social media. You still have to listen to the people in the first step. And then you have to ask them questions that make them think, so they can see how illogical they are, and get them out of this conspiracy oath. Such questions must always be respectful. It is very important to stay in the communication offer. The problem is that many see this as an ideology and almost want to proselytize others.

How do you deal with people who are simply afraid of the vaccine and the vaccine reaction?

You have to take these worries seriously, but you have to put them in perspective.

In such people, I try to tease out the fear of the disease.

The worries about the vaccination often come from stories about experiences from your brother-in-law or girlfriend.

I then try to counter other personal experiences.

Five people around me died from the virus, including people I had known for 30 or 40 years.

If I tell something like that and then ask: "How many people do you know who died from a vaccination?", Then I can put my worries before the vaccination into perspective.

It is like this: we cannot hide from the virus.

It's always about: vaccinating or getting sick.

Are you for or against compulsory vaccination?

I am against a general vaccination requirement, that cannot be enforced.

I can imagine a job-related vaccination requirement, for example in nursing and in schools.

It is difficult to implement a general compulsory vaccination because I think it is wrong to impose penalties.

But it is a kind of punishment if a person who has been vaccinated no longer has access to certain public spaces.