What do I need to know before going to Germany to get the flu vaccine? [WE EXPLAIN]

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The difficulties in purchasing flu vaccines are not only related to rationing and putting on a long waiting list, but also to choosing who in the family to get vaccinated first. The mother gives her dose to the child, but what if there are several children and grandma would also use the vaccine? A popular solution, especially in border regions, was the filling of a prescription in Germany. However, before deciding to go to the local pharmacy, it is worth considering all the pros and cons.

1. Pharmaceutical companies declare how many doses of the vaccine will be delivered based on data from last season
2. In Germany, we can only fill a cross-border prescription
3. In order for the vaccine to not lose its properties, it must be stored at an appropriate temperature
4. Eligible persons may apply to the National Health Fund for reimbursement of costs incurred for vaccination
5. You can find more such stories on the TvoiLokony home page

Why is it so difficult to buy a flu vaccine in Poland?

During his visit to Radio Zet, Health Minister Adam Niedzielski announced that about 2 million flu vaccines will be delivered to Poland this season. He also admitted that the ministry is trying to import an additional 0,5 million doses, although this may not be enough to meet the increased demand.

Vaccine deliveries for this season are closely related to the vaccination coverage level last year, which was low for us. Only about 1,5 million people were vaccinated, i.e. 4 percent. society. Additionally, approx. 100 thousand. unused vaccines.

– The vaccine ordering mechanism is always based on the previous year – explained Minister Niedzielski.

Oko.press, quoting the information received at the beginning of September from the health ministry, emphasizes that the ministry does not order or buy vaccines and writes: “It is the producer who, when applying for a refund, declares that he will provide the given amount of vaccines. As of today, we have confirmed readiness to supply approximately 1,8 million flu vaccines. Another 200 thousand is already declared by the manufacturers. However, there are still talks about a possible increase in the provisioning of the Polish market with further batches of vaccines ».

The president of the Lower Silesian Pharmaceutical Chamber, Marcin Repelewicz, speaking for the portal mgr.farm, explained the problems with the availability of vaccines: “The lack of people willing to get vaccines was to make people thought – not expecting a coronavirus epidemic – that also this year, the number of vaccines will turn out to be sufficient ».

On the other hand, the website czaspolek.pl reports that Sanofi Pasteur, the producer of Vaxigrip Tetra, delivered the last batch of the vaccine to Polish pharmaceutical wholesalers in mid-October. In total, 1 doses were delivered. At the same time, the company emphasized that this year’s delivery was over 300 percent. higher than last year and that it is making efforts to import additional vaccines from Poland.

A wide selection of influenza vaccines on the German market

Paul Ehrlich Institute (the federal institute of vaccines and biomedicine) reported that 25 million vaccines will hit the German market this season. Deliveries began at the end of July, and in September, when the first vaccines appeared in Polish pharmacies, there were about 16,5 million of them on the market.

The answer to why so much is related to the vaccination coverage rate mentioned earlier. In previous years, it was, for example, approx. 35 percent. for people over 60 in Germany.

The president of the Lower Silesian Pharmaceutical Chamber explained: “If the country had a low vaccination coverage, and so far Poland had it at the level of five percent, and in Germany it reaches 50 percent, it is clear that most vaccines go to that market”.

In Germany, there are also vaccines registered in Poland: Vaxigrip Tetra, Influvac Tetra and Fluenz Tetra.

To Germany only with a paper flu vaccine prescription

Although we can buy the influenza vaccine individually in Germany, there are a few important points that we must pay attention to.

– The vaccine must have a so-called The EAN code, the European Article Number, is the number assigned to all products available for sale in Europe, said the Minister of Health on Radio Zet.

Of course, we won’t get the vaccine without a prescription. And if the prescription is not electronic, because the Polish e-prescription system has not yet been combined with similar ones abroad (this is to take place on January 1, 2021). Ask your doctor for a paper cross-border prescription. The data that should be included in the prescription regulation, and additional information can be found on the National Health Fund website.

Unfortunately, the vaccine bought abroad is fully paid and much more expensive than in Poland. For example, Vaxigrip Tetra in our pharmacy costs about PLN 45 (about PLN 22 after a 50% discount), and in Germany about EUR 23, the Influvac Tetra has a similar price.

However, there is good news: you can apply to the National Health Fund for reimbursement of costs (up to the reimbursement level). It applies to the same groups of patients who have the vaccine reimbursed in Poland:

1. people over 75 years old – free of charge (VaxigripTetra)
2. people over 65 – 50 percent refunds (VaxigripTetra)
3. pregnant women – 50 percent reimbursement (Influvac Tetra)
4. children from 3 to 5 years of age – 50 percent refunds (Fluenx Tetra)

Let’s remember about the so-called cold chain

The vaccine should be kept cool from the moment it leaves the pharmacy. The optimal temperature is 2 – 8 degrees Celsius. If we break the cold chain, the doctor may refuse to vaccinate. Therefore, before leaving, it is worth getting, for example, an airtight container with a freezing insert. An insulated container, e.g. of polystyrene with a temperature-maintaining insert, will also be suitable.

If we are concerned that the vaccine may lose its properties, it is possible to vaccinate on the spot, e.g. after purchasing the preparation at a German pharmacy. You can give yourself a subcutaneous or intradermal injection.

It is uncertain whether the vaccine can be bought immediately

At the beginning of October, not only people living on the border with Germany decided on a trip to get a flu vaccine, but also Varsovians and residents of Rzeszów. TVN24 reported that the siege was experienced by, among others pharmacies in Goerlitz, where supplies ran out in one day. The pharmacists there have even created a waiting list. However, when their number increased to 600, records were discontinued.

Now, before we hit the road, it’s best to ask at the pharmacy of your choice if the prescription can be filled.

– From fellow doctors who run private clinics in Germany, work outpatient clinics – – I know that at the moment the availability of flu vaccines is very poor – says Dr. Krzysztof Pujdak, cardiologist at the Herford Clinic. – They order them in pharmacies and give them to patients who have signed up for them before. I doubt that the situation in the border areas will be better now, so I think that the information about Poles buying flu or pneumococcal vaccines in German pharmacies is rather fake news – the doctor explained in an interview with Medonet.

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