What’s the deal with the vaccine in Vienna? 10 questions you’ve been asking yourself answered

1. Who can get the vaccine?

Everybody who lives in Vienna and are 16 years of age, or older can get the Corona vaccine in Vienna. That’s it actually, not even an e-card is mandatory to get vaccinated. 

2. Where can I register?

To register for getting the corona vaccine, you can either call the infamous phone number 1450 or you can just register online (recommended, because why the hell would you talk to an actual person on the phone if you can avoid that by using the internet?!).

Just remember that this is not an actual appointment – it is just a reservation. They’ll contact you as soon as it’s your turn. If you are a spontaneous person though, you can hop on a waiting list by ticking this ‘Yes, I could spontaneously be available within 1-2 hours to get vaccinated’ option in the form and get the chance to be vaccinated earlier. Yay!

Also: It is not a ‘first come, first serve’ kind of deal. The date of your registration has absolutely no influence on when you’ll actually get your, ‘Impftermin.’ 

3. How are they prioritising who gets the vaccine when?

Apparently, in 2021, everybody in Vienna (who want to) will be vaccinated (Well… let’s see). Until then, just have a look at the “Impfplan” that the Stadt Wien has set up to check out who’s going to get their vaccine when. 

To give you a quick overview: everybody in retirement, or nursing homes should get their ‘roni vaccine by the end of March.

High risk patients, and people who work in particular so-called ‘front line, essential’ professions (like ambulance workers, Covid-19 lab workers, schools, police, pharmacies, people who work at Vienna Würstelstand (ok, that’s a lie, but we do consider ourselves essential – our mothers told us so) are also currently getting vaccinated.

People who are 70 years of age, or older will get their vaccine by the end of March/middle of April.

The rest of us will have to wait until there are enough of these magic little bottles, that will hopefully make our lives livable again soon, available. 

4. Where are the “Impfzentren” in Vienna?

Those who are not getting vaccinated at their place of work or where they live (like retirement homes, hospitals, etc.) will get their anti-roni-shot at one of the many Impfzentren (aka vaccination centres) in the city. Currently, there are 11 of these in Vienna:

2., Karmelitergasse 9/1. Stock

3., TownTown, Thomas-Klestil-Platz 8/2

7., Andreasgasse 3 (Gesundheitszentrum Neubau)

12., Am Schöpfwerk 29/11/R10

14., Heinrich-Collin-Straße 30 (Hanusch-Krankenhaus)

15., Gasgasse 8-10 (Entry: Staglgasse 5a)

18., Martinstraße 100/1. Stock

21., Karl-Aschenbrenner-Gasse 3 (Gesundheitszentrum Floridsdorf)

21., Wassermanngasse 7

22., Schrödingerplatz (Entry VHS) – Exit: Bernoullistraße 1

22., Austria-Center-Vienna, Bruno-Kreisky-Platz 1

At the end of March/beginning of April though, Vienna will apparently start vaccinating people outside of these Impfzentren, and you might be able to get it at a doctor’s office. 

5. Which vaccines are available in Vienna?

Currently there are 4 different vaccines licensed in Vienna: BioNtech/Pfizer, Moderna, AstraZeneca and Janssen (Johnson&Johnson).

Depending on their availability, the medical recommendation of your doctor, and your age, one of these will (hopefully) be your ticket to a normal life again. And no, you won’t get to choose which vaccine you get. 

6. How many doses of vaccine will Vienna get in the next couple of weeks/months?

So, the city is making promises that by the beginning of April, a lot more people will be vaccinated. However, to be honest (and without being super pessimistic), we’ll only believe it when we see it considering how things have been going thus far. 

According to the city of Vienna, especially the BioNTech/Pfizer and Moderna vaccines will be delivered in higher quantities soon. Well, let’s just cross our fingers and hope for the best – and, of course, stay our positive selves.

7. Who gets which vaccine? Do I get to choose?

Unfortunately, you don’t get to choose your vaccine. Who gets which one, depends solely on which vaccine is available at the moment. However, you can always say no to getting the vaccine they’ve decided to ram into your arm. 

8. How many people have already been vaccinated so far in Vienna (as of 22.03.2021)?

Those who’ve gotten the first injection: 199.724

Those who are completely Corona immunised: 68.225

Those who have registered for the vaccine: 688.844

9. What will the vaccination process look like?

Actually, it’s quite simple. You register online, then they’ll contact you as soon as it’s your turn.

You’ll get an appointment, turn up at one of the vaccination centres (see point 4), get the first shot of the vaccine currently available, head home and come back after several weeks (BioNTech/Pfizer: 3 weeks, Moderna: 4 weeks and AstraZeneca: 11 to 12 weeks) for the second shot to be jabbed into your arm.

If you get the Johnson&Johnson vaccine, you will only get one shot. Easy-peasy lemon squeezy!

10. Is the AstraZeneca vaccine safe?

Well, we don’t see ourselves as authorities in this field or qualified enough to answer this question. However, there is a lot of information out there that will help you form an opinion. Some sources say it is safe, other sources say there are concerns. Just be sure to do your research.