Step by step through the vaccination centre

It is a labyrinth of corridors, waiting rooms and booths that was created in the Zaha Hadid exhibition hall 3C in December last year. More than 100,000 Nuremberg citizens have already meandered through the course of registration, waiting and education areas to the actual vaccination booth, where they received one of the approved Corona vaccines. We provide an interesting glimpse behind the scenes of the vaccination centre.

The Vaccination Centre for Nuremberg is located in Hall 3C at the Nuremberg Exhibition Centre. The hall is striking because it is the most modern and newest exhibition hall on the site and was designed by star architect Zaha Hadid. It is located at the south-eastern end of the exhibition grounds, within walking distance and barrier-free only about 400 metres from the "Messe" underground station and directly opposite a parking deck with free car parking spaces.

Vaccinees enter the Vaccination Centre via an entrance on the east side of Hall 3C. Upon entering the hall area, all persons will be asked about their health status and vaccination date. Upon actual entry into the exhibition hall, the vaccination date and registration of the vaccinee will be checked. To avoid too many people being in the vaccination centre at the same time, vaccinees will be admitted a maximum of 15 minutes before or after their vaccination appointment. Here, staff of the vaccination centre also check whether the vaccinee has brought all the necessary documents.

The medical registration of the vaccinees then takes place at a total of eight counters. Here, the data of the persons are compared with the information in the Bavarian Vaccination Portal (BayIMCO) and adjusted if necessary. The staff prepare the vaccinee's documents so that things go as quickly as possible in the vaccination booth. At this point, the paths of the first and second vaccinations also separate for one ward.

Vaccinated people who receive their first vaccination dose go to a waiting area after registration, where they receive important information about the vaccination via a five-minute video. Basic questions are also answered, which do not necessarily require a doctor. This step also serves to reduce the duration of the actual vaccination as much as possible. Additional questions can also be answered by the staff at this station. As a general rule, the vaccinated person is never alone in the vaccination centre.

After the film, the vaccinated person enters one of two vaccination lines. These are symmetrically constructed and each have ten vaccination booths. Depending on the workload, both vaccination lines are used dynamically to minimise waiting times. Overall, the vaccination centre is set up in a one-way system. This reduces contact between vaccinees and facilitates orientation. 

In the waiting area in front of the vaccination booths, a traffic light system indicates with green or red whether a booth is occupied. After being called by the medical staff or the doctor, the vaccinee can enter the booth directly. Each doctor at the vaccination centre vaccinates up to 150 vaccines a day. Depending on the availability of the vaccine, up to 1,200 people are vaccinated daily at the vaccination centre.

In the vaccination cabin, a doctor and another member of the medical staff welcome the vaccinee. This person takes the data of the vaccinated person. For the vaccination, the vaccinated person sits down on a chair and receives the vaccination dose by injection into the arm by the doctor.

After the vaccination, the vaccinee goes to a spacious waiting area for 15 minutes for follow-up. This is to ensure that in case of after-effects such as dizziness, the vaccinee can be attended to directly by medical professionals. Should an emergency occur, such as an intolerance, the vaccinated person can be taken to the nearby hospital within a few minutes. A sticker that the vaccinated person receives when entering the waiting area tells him/her when the 15 minutes have elapsed until he/she is allowed to leave the vaccination centre.

When leaving the vaccination centre, the vaccinee is registered and checked whether he or she has received a follow-up appointment from the doctor.