BASF vaccinates employees

As of today, BASF is the first company in Germany to vaccinate selected employees against Corona in its own vaccination center. Other corporations declare that they are ready to go and are pressing for permission.

At BASF, the time has come: As of today, employees at the Ludwigshafen headquarters are the first company in Germany to receive a vaccination offer. Again SWR reported, a separate vaccination center was set up in the world’s largest chemical plant – with vaccination booths, waiting and rest rooms. This is a pilot project between the federal government and the state of Rhineland-Palatinate. One is proud to be able to help to increase the vaccination speed, to relieve the health system and thus to make a further contribution to the fight against pandemics, said board member Michael Heinz, who is also the site manager in Ludwigshafen, in an interview with the SWR . BioNTech will initially offer the vaccine. At the start, according to BASF, 300 employees were given a vaccination appointment. The vaccinations are in the order specified by the state: initially only employees with previous illnesses such as diabetes. The group expects to be able to vaccinate up to 4,000 employees in the coming weeks. Overall, however, the group employs 39,000 people on the Ludwigshafen site. It is “just” a pilot project. From the point of view of the German economy, the vaccination rate could be significantly increased if, after the general practitioners, the company doctors finally got permission to immunize the employees in the companies against Corona.

Model projects also at Daimler and in Bavaria

There are also similar plans in other large companies. According to Daimler, for example, it has set up its own vaccination centers and vaccination lanes at its German locations. “As soon as the vaccine is available and the vaccination is approved for company doctors, Daimler will start a comprehensive vaccination program,” said a company spokesman. In the main plant in Stuttgart-Untertürkheim, several hundred employees could then be immunized against the corona virus every five minutes. The group plans to use up to five vaccines, depending on the approval. The immunizations are to be carried out by more than 70 company doctors and more than 200 medical assistants across Germany. Other DAX companies, such as the Vonovia residential construction group, also declare that they are ready to be vaccinated. The board of directors said that a test lane had been set up in the company’s own casino, in which employees can be tested twice a week. “As soon as we get vaccines, our company doctors will also be able to vaccinate here.”

Bavaria is also starting a pilot project

Bavaria also wants to speed up the vaccination. In addition, Prime Minister Markus Söder announced a relaxation of the prioritization rules. By the end of April, company doctors in ten companies should be given permission to vaccinate employees against Corona. Several companies have already expressed their willingness to take part in the project. At the forefront is Allianz insurance, which has been pushing for weeks to be able to vaccinate its employees themselves. According to a company spokeswoman, the group has already set up 27 vaccination lanes at 15 central, large production sites nationwide and could in principle begin vaccinations. Company doctors are also available for vaccinations at Knorr-Bremse and the truck manufacturer MAN. However, it is only a pilot project in Bavaria, for which the Bavarian state government has only planned 50,000 cans. Because the first thing is to “test and improve the organization and processes in the companies,” says Munich. Companies are also still not allowed to purchase vaccines themselves.

Vaccinations have long been taking place in companies abroad

The big companies have long referred to their experience with vaccinations, since they have been offering their employees flu vaccinations for years. The large corporations can also fall back on the practice abroad, where they have already started corona vaccinations of their employees in some countries. VW boss Herbert Diess had already said before Easter that the group would vaccinate in Russia and Spain. The Friedrichshafen-based auto supplier ZF has started vaccinating its employees in Serbia. In France, many companies also offer their employees the option of being immunized by the company doctors. Deutsche Bank boss Christian Sewing goes one step further: The money house would not only like to use excess vaccine, but is also “basically ready to allow people to be vaccinated even if they don’t work for us,” he told the newspaper ” The world”. Because there was a lack of nationwide vaccine supply in this country, Federal Health Minister Jens Spahn has so far refused the company doctors a permit. At the end of April, a meeting with the Association of Company and Company Doctors, VDBW, is planned to discuss how to proceed.