Effectiveness of vaccination during medication use

It is fine to be vaccinated while taking most medication. In some cases, extra attention is needed. This applies to anticoagulants (blood thinners) and medicines that affect your immune system: 

• If you are being treated with anticoagulant medication, you can usually be vaccinated as planned. Sometimes consultation with the anticoagulant clinic (Trombosedienst) is required to determine the appropriate time of vaccination and the injection site. Therefore, when making the appointment, please specify which anticoagulants you are taking, if any.
• If you are being treated with medication that affects your immune system, you can be vaccinated. However, these medications may make the vaccination less effective. Read more about people with impaired immunity.
• If you have been treated for COVID-19 with monoclonal antibodies, you can be vaccinated from two to three months after treatment. These antibodies are likely to be present in your body for the first few months. They can have a negative impact on the immune response from the vaccination. For that reason, it is better to postpone vaccination for now.

If you become ill after vaccination

If you have a fever (38.5 degrees or higher), the vaccination appointment cannot take place. If you are too ill to go, then cancel your appointment. Make a new appointment when your symptoms are gone.

Vaccination and surgery

You can be vaccinated up to 2 days before surgery. This is to prevent you from having side effects (on the day that the operation is scheduled) that would prevent your surgery from taking place. After surgery, even with anaesthesia, you can be vaccinated as planned; it is not necessary to wait several days after surgery before the vaccination can be given.