So, there's light at the end of the tunnel. The EU's vaccination program is rather slow, but in any case, my invitation for a vaccine has arrived. I got a letter in my mailbox back in late March, and it allowed me to make an appointment for early April, during Easter weekend actually.
There are different ways of implementing the vaccination program in Germany, depending on the state you live in. In Berlin, it is centrally controlled by the Berlin Senate, and everyone just needs to wait to receive their invitation letter, which is sent per the agreed prioritisation strategy. The letter has a QR code as well as a unique ID that allows one to get an appointment.
There are several vaccination centres in Berlin. A vaccination centre offers only one particular type of vaccine, e.g. the Moderna vaccine is only available in one of them, AstraZeneca is available in two, and the rest distribute BioNTech vaccines. One can choose which vaccine one would like to get, and because there is significant difference in how people perceive these vaccines (e.g. AstraZeneca seems to have a bad rep, with the alleged blod clots as side effects), the appointment availability differs significantly. For example, when I made my appointment, I opted for the BioNTech vaccine, which meant that I had to wait for 12 days to get a free slot. But if I were fine with AstraZeneca, I could easily have gotten a slot the next day.
Anyway, during the day I had my appointment, I made my way to the vaccination centre, in the opposite side of the city. They essentially converted a bicycle arena into a military facility. I haven't seen uniformed military in a while, and so seeing them facilitating the whole operation was slightly unnerving. The entire thing was essentially a one-way obstacle course, and one had several stations to stop by.
First, there was a small queue to enter the building. They ask everyone to disinfect their hands. The queue was fast-moving, and I didn't have to wait more than 5 minutes in every station. After disinfecting my hands, I had to get my temperature taken. They use this gun-looking thing to scan your wrist, and if it turns green, then you're let in.
Next, they scan the QR code in your invitation letter. And then immediately after that, they check your bags. No cameras are allowed. Mobile phones are also not allowed to be used inside the buildings. Once you enter the building, there's this small waiting area, where they asked me to sit. Again, I didn't wait more than 5 minutes here. Then they called me to go to a booth. This is where they dealt with the paperwork. I had to talk to someone to clarify whether I had allergies, whether I had complications in previous vaccines, and I also had to sign to indicate that I willingly took the vaccine. They also confirmed my second appointment, a few weeks after my first one.
When the paperwork was done, I had to go to another waiting area, and again, after waiting for less than 5 minutes, I was taken to the part where I see the doctor. My paperwork was digitally scanned, and the doctor gave me a shot on my left arm. Afterward, I was taken to the final waiting room, where I was told that I had to wait for 15 minutes, to see if I had any adverse reactions to the vaccine, and after 15 minutes, I was free to leave.
Seeing the entire operation, I must say it was very well organised, which is perhaps not surprising, given that this is Germany. That said, I have read reports saying that Germany sacrificed speed for perfectionism in its vaccine roll out strategy. So other countries like the USA, the United Kingdom, Israel, and others have way faster vaccination coverage.
In any case, I definitely see light at the end of this pandemic tunnel. I've been waiting for a while now for this vaccine, and I am glad that I have the first of the required two shots done.