1. It protects you. Against Omicron, too.
   The Omicron wave has hit Germany. The data shows that every vaccination helps. Against Omicron, too. Even the first vaccination provides protection against severe illness. And the booster vaccination further enhances this protection. The booster is effective.
2. It protects your family, grandparents, friends – and anyone who is particularly vulnerable.
   Those who have received a booster jab in particular are less likely to infect others as compared to those who are unvaccinated. So by getting vaccinated, you’re not only protecting yourself but also your family, friends and colleagues. You’re also protecting those who cannot be vaccinated themselves or who may not respond so well to vaccination because of an underlying disease, and who are therefore particularly at risk.
3. There are fewer risks involved in getting vaccinated than there are in contracting COVID-19.
   Severe side effects are very rare after a coronavirus vaccination (less than 1 in 10,000). By contrast, the risk of suffering a severe or protracted case of COVID-19 is significantly greater if you become infected with the virus.
4. No long wait, no cost, no ID requirement.
   Vaccination is very simple. You don’t need to present ID or a health insurance card, and it doesn’t cost you anything. Vaccinations and boosters are widely available without a long wait – at vaccination centres, doctors’ surgeries and companies, or through special campaigns. And you’ll soon be able to get vaccinated at a pharmacy near you.
5. Safe vaccines.
   The approved vaccines are broken down in the body within a short time. Coronavirus vaccines have been administered around 160 million times in Germany alone – and billions of times worldwide. Undesirable side effects are extremely rare. Long-term effects are not known. Hardly any other vaccine has been so closely monitored by scientific experts over such a short period of time as the approved COVID-19 vaccines.
6. The right vaccine for every age.
   Vaccination is recommended for everyone aged 12 and over, including the booster jab, i.e. the third vaccination. And it is possible to have children vaccinated from the age of 5, too. The vaccines are continuously tested for efficacy and safety. In addition to the so-called mRNA vaccines produced by Moderna and Biontech and the vector vaccine by Johnson & Johnson, another type of vaccine, Novavax, will soon be available for everyone aged 18 and over. This means that a so-called “inactivated vaccine” will be available for all those who prefer this type to the vaccines currently on offer.
7. It enables a return to normal life – at school, in restaurants and at the cinema.
   The coronavirus vaccination makes our everyday lives easier. Whether in a restaurant, in a pub, out shopping, at the cinema or at school: when people are vaccinated, events are safer and protective measures can be eased. And those who have a booster or have been recently vaccinated do not need to go into quarantine.

You will find lots more information about the coronavirus vaccination in our “Questions and answers”.

Information in English, Turkish, Russian and Arabic on the subject of vaccination and testing for members of the public can be accessed by calling the free, nationwide telephone number 0800 0000837.