About us
“Choose life over lockdown” is a joint campaign organised by the commercial property sector and supports the Federal Government’s “Together against Coronavirus” initiative. The aim is to increase people’s willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Germany. We want to inform people in Germany about the vaccines and motivate them to get vaccinated.
In addition, we want to provide space for vaccination services at selected locations. Because the more people who get vaccinated, the faster we can return to normality.
About us
“Choose life over lockdown” is a joint campaign organised by the commercial property sector and supports the Federal Government’s “Together against Coronavirus” initiative. The aim is to increase people’s willingness to get vaccinated against COVID-19 in Germany. We want to inform people in Germany about the vaccines and motivate them to get vaccinated.
In addition, we want to provide space for vaccination services at selected locations. Because the more people who get vaccinated, the faster we can return to normality.
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With support from
Why are vaccines so important?
The novel coronavirus is highly contagious and can result in serious illnesses known as COVID-19. Because the virus is new, many infected people do not have any defences against it yet and will therefore fall ill.
Coronavirus vaccines can prevent many such infections and subsequent periods of illness. For example, in the case of the vaccine developed by BioNTech/Pfizer, it has been calculated that out of 100 vaccinated individuals, only about 5 will fall ill with COVID-19. This means that vaccinated individuals are very unlikely to get sick if they are exposed to the coronavirus – a fact that has already been confirmed by research findings. However, we don’t yet know how long the vaccines’ protective effects will last. Therefore, you must continue to observe all social-distancing and hygiene rules even after vaccination!
However, vaccination not only protects the vaccinated people themselves, but also other people in their vicinity. This is because fully vaccinated people only transmit the coronavirus in very rare cases.
Which vaccines are available?
In Germany, the vaccines BioNTech/Pfizer, Moderna, Johnson & Johnson, AstraZeneca and, since December 2021, Novavax have been used. All have been extensively tested and are highly effective against the coronavirus.
All of these vaccines are based on antigens. These are small molecular structures that are also found on the surface of the coronavirus itself. When we are vaccinated, the antigens trigger a protective response from our immune system. This protective reaction is “memorised” by our bodies and triggered once again upon contact with the coronavirus.
The recently approved Novavax vaccine is an inactivated vaccine. This contains tiny particles of the Coronavirus produced in the laboratory, the so-called spike proteins. If these get into the body through the vaccination, they are recognised as foreign bodies and stimulate the immune system to form antibodies. This creates a protective immune response.
Did you experience any discomfort or adverse symptoms after being vaccinated? Or have you heard other people saying that they felt poorly afterwards? This is not a side effect, it’s actually a good sign! It shows that the immune system has started working to build up a protective reaction to a coronavirus infection.
What is the goal of the booster vaccination?
The German Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices (STIKO, Ständige Impfkommission) recommends a booster vaccination against COVID-19 for all people aged 12 and over who received their second vaccination about three months ago, and for young people who received it three to six months ago.
The goal is also to prevent as many severe courses of COVID-19 (hospitalisation, death) as possible. In addition to the protective effect against severe disease progression, booster vaccinations also lead to a lower viral load and thus to a lower level of infectivity. In this way, the transmission of COVID-19 can be reduced, especially in the vicinity of people who are particularly at risk.
The German Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices (STIKO, Ständige Impfkommission) also recommends a second booster vaccination for people over the age of 70, residents and people being cared for in care facilities, people with an immune deficiency from the age of 5 and people working in medical facilities as well as care facilities. The second booster vaccination should be given to groups of people at risk of health no earlier than three months after the first booster vaccination with an mRNA vaccine. For staff in medical and nursing facilities, it is recommended six months after the first booster vaccination at the earliest.
Exposure to COVID-19 due to the Omicron variant?
According to the current state of knowledge, the Omicron variant spreads much faster and more effectively than the previous variants of the virus. The RKI now assesses the overall risk of COVID-19 to the health of the population in Germany as very high. The risk of infection is estimated to be very high for the unvaccinated group, high for the recovered group and the group vaccinated with primary cycle (two vaccinations) and moderate for the group vaccinated with a booster dose.
Long-term consequences of COVID-19 disease?
As the pandemic lasts, it is becoming increasingly clear that a COVID-19 infection can have long-term health consequences, even if the course of the disease is mild or the infection goes unnoticed.
Current guidelines use the terms “Long-COVID” (symptoms persisting more than four weeks after infection or illness) or “Post-COVID-19 Syndrome” (existing longer than twelve weeks or new symptoms or health problems that cannot be explained otherwise) depending on the period in which the symptoms persist. The most common symptoms of Long-COVID include persistent exhaustion, shortness of breath, difficulty concentrating and dizziness, etc.
Coronavirus vaccination in children?
Since August 2021, the German Advisory Committee for Immunisation Practices (STIKO, Ständige Impfkommission) has been recommending all children and adolescents from the age of 12 to be vaccinated against the Coronavirus with the vaccine of BioNTech/Pfizer. Since mid-December 2021, children between the ages of 5 and 11 can also be vaccinated with the adapted vaccine of BioNTech/Pfizer.
GET VACCINATED!
You can get your vaccine directly from a doctor or at a vaccination centre. Mobile vaccination stations are also being set up in an increasing number of towns and cities.
Fact check: Fake news about vaccines
We answer questions about vaccination myths and conspiracy theories
Is there a risk of mRNA vaccines altering my genetic make-up?
There is no discernible risk of mRNA being integrated into the human genome. In humans, the genome is located in the form of DNA in the cell nucleus.. An integration of RNA into DNA DNA is not possible at all, largely due to differences in their chemical structure. There is also no evidence that the mRNA incorporated into the body’s cells after vaccination is transcribed into DNA.
(Source: RKI, date: 21/07/2021)
Can the vaccines cause infertility in women?
The vaccines were rigorously tested before being approved. There is no evidence that women could become infertile after vaccination.
A rumour was spread via social media that coronavirus vaccines can make people infertile because the spike proteins on the surface of the coronavirus are similar to the protein Syncytin-1, which is responsible for the formation of the placenta.
Based on this fact, some people leapt to the following conclusion: if a vaccinated woman’s immune system develops antibodies against the spike protein on the coronavirus, they will also attack the syncytin-1 protein and thus impair the formation of a placenta. However, as the similarity between the two proteins is in reality minimal, a cross-reaction to the COVID-19 vaccine can be ruled out.
(Source: RKI, date: 19/07/2021)
Is it true that vaccination is pointless because the body's antibody levels decline anyway?
Despite the fact that the quantity of useful antibodies decreases after a few months following vaccination, the body of a vaccinated person can still generate a protective immune response after this time. This is because vaccines not only stimulate the production of antibodies, but also train the immune cells to recognise and destroy cells infected with coronavirus.
Even though these vaccines have been approved, their manufacturers are still conducting ongoing research to establish the degree of long-term protection they provide.
(Source: RKI, date: 02/06/2021)