My joke of a country did not order any from the updated vaccines for COVID-19, but still insists on keeping the state monopoly on it. We have private institutions where we can get pretty much any vaccine, but not COVID vaccines.

Is there any country where I could travel and get vaccinated as a tourist? Private service or otherwise.

  • _edgeEnglish
    42·
    1 year ago

    My guess would be all of them, but health care systems are weird. I live in Germany and I’m 99% sure you could get the covid shot here. Foreign passport does not matter. Lacking insurance does not matter if you’re paying. Can’t see why not, except that doctors aren’t really keen to take on new patients they’ll never see again.

    • SowhateverEnglish
      14·
      1 year ago

      I got vaccinated at my local pharmacy in Munich…

    • Jekyll@feddit.deEnglish
      7·
      1 year ago

      In beginning of 2022 my non-EU girlfriend got the shot for free at a “Impfstation”, they were glad to use the remaining doses. Even made her an Impfpass to get it recognized in her home country, showed her passport and nothing more. Good experience.

      • ebikefolder@feddit.deEnglish
        12·
        1 year ago

        I guess the easiest way is to find a pharmacy offering his service. Google “Impfen” and “Apotheke” for the town you plan to visit.

        You will probably need an appointment because the vaccine still doesn’t come as single doses so they have to arrange for groups of (I think) 3 people to not waste anything.

        Phone ahead, go there, get the shot, pay, leave. Quite straightforward.

      • letmesleep@feddit.deEnglish
        8·
        1 year ago

        Well, if you pay yourself you fall under the rules of a “Privatpatient” (private patient, usually people who have private health insurance, not the social-security-related insurance).

        Generally speaking that’s helpful because you’ll make the healthcare providers more money than a normal patient. I.e. you’ll have an easier time getting an appointment.

        Also generally speaking the rule of getting a vaccine as a private patient is that you’ll have to do two things: buy the vaccine and then find someone to inject you with it. In case of Covid residents of Germany get the vaccine for free from the state (not from insurers, that is unusual), but I don’t think that would applies to you. Hence you’ll have to plan the logistics beforhand It’s possible to get the vaccine through a doctor who then vaccinates you and it’s also possible to get it from a pharmacist who then vaccinates you, but it’s quite likely that you’ll end up having to go to a doctor, get a prescription, go to a pharmacist, get the vaccine and then go back to the doctor to get vaccinated. I’ve done that and it doesn’t necessarily take more than an hour, but if you’re not in the country for long, you really want to plan beforehand. I.e. make sure the doctor has time and the pharmacist has the vaccine. How to plan does - just as @ebikefolder said - very much depend on the city you plan to visit. There’s no spoc for healthcare in Germany. You’ll have to find doctors and/or pharmacists via google (or specialized search engines like jameda.de).

          • letmesleep@feddit.deEnglish
            6·
            1 year ago

            If you find one, yes. As far as I know most pharmacies don’t do vaccinations. After all they need the facilities to do that. In a large city you’ll definitely find some, but depending where you are traveling time could mean that it’s easier to get vaccinated in a doctor’s office.

            • mint_tamas@lemmy.worldOPEnglish
              3·
              1 year ago

              Thanks for the info. I’ll likely go to Berlin since there is a direct flight there, so hopefully I can find one there.

  • Flughoernchen@feddit.deEnglish
    9·
    1 year ago

    I know that when the Covid vaccine first got rolled out Serbia literally invited foreigners to get a shot there instead of waiting for their turn in their home country. Not sure about the situation there now, but it might be worth a look into it.

  • crandlecan@mander.xyzEnglish
    7·
    1 year ago

    Oow tough one! Dutchie here. If you’re longer than a month here you can get one free of charge. There’s no open market where you xan buy it though.

  • tankplanker@lemmy.worldEnglish
    5·
    1 year ago

    UK it will be possible to buy the vaccine in the new year at some point but not currently. Assuming it works the same as the flu vaccine you can book and pay at Boots online ahead of time and just turn up.

    Its really hard to get the vaccine for free for the more moderate at risk groups if you are under 65 now, it used to be over 50s.